All For One
by Lori2279
Summary: The next generation of the ISA is alive and well...
1. Chapter 1

AN:

This is set just after Shawn and Belle leave Salem after the custody mess with Chloe and Nicole.

I own nothing

-d-d-d-d-d-

Shawn Brady looked at his ex-wife as she stopped the car and put it in park outside the Red Dragon Inn.

"Belle, thank you," he said quietly.

"You're welcome," Belle wouldn't look at him. "What are you going to tell Claire?"

"I'll tell her things didn't work out," he said simply.

"And your mom?"

"I'll tell her what's going on," Shawn said. "John already knows. Marlena can't though, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I'm aware that I can't tell my mother the truth," Belle finally glanced at him, "Or our daughter."

"Belle-"

"Don't Shawn, just don't," she shook her head. "We're here. I'll pop the trunk."

"I'll see ya," Shawn got out of the car and pulled his luggage from the trunk before closing it and hitting it twice to signal that he was done. He watched Belle drive away and sighed.

"Hey, Sailor. New in town?" a voice asked from behind causing him to smile as he turned.

"Hey Reesie," he said when he set eyes on his cousin.

Jeannie Theresa Donovan, wearing a beat up leather jacket that looked as old as his own, smiled as she gave Shawn a hug, "Guess I don't have to ask how Belle took the news."

"She'll get over it," Shawn returned the hug. "You my welcoming committee?"

"Steph and Eric are inside with my girls," Theresa admitted. "You hungry? We waited for you."

"Yeah, I could use some food," he nodded.

"Good," Theresa pulled out some keys and pressed a button, causing a car a few feet away to beep, "Go stow your stuff."

Shawn did as bid and then walked into the pub with Theresa, following her to a corner table where their cousins, Stephanie Johnson and Eric Brady waited with two carriers.

"Shawn," Stephanie got up and gave him a gigantic hug, laughing when he lifted her off the ground.

Eric was waiting when Shawn released Stephanie. The Brady men gave each other a traditional back-slapping hug after a handshake.

"Do I get an introduction to the newest members?" Shawn peered at the carriers resting on either side of Theresa.

"This is Sophie Antonia and this is Philomena Loretta," Theresa pointed at her daughters in turn. "We call Philomena, 'Mena'."

"Good nickname," Shawn smiled before he sat down. "They're beautiful, Reesie."

"Thanks," Theresa beamed.

"So, what's the scheme?"

"That waits until we're at home," Stephanie said.

"Home? In Aremid?" Shawn looked skeptical.

"For now," Eric nodded.

"C'mon, Shawn," Theresa said when her cousin continued to look doubtful, "Would you look for an ISA installation in a former DiMera stronghold?"

"With our training, that's the first place I'd look," Shawn teased. "Speaking of, how's that house looking?"

"Maison Blanche is deserted as far as we can tell," Eric said. "Videos and a sweep of the place tell us that no one has been in the house since the late nineties."

"And with Stefano gone, there's no reason for anyone to visit," Stephanie said.

"Unless, of course, Jennifer's ex-husband is feeling nostalgic," Theresa joked.

"Don't jinx it," Stephanie shook her head as she signaled the waitress. "I'm starving. Let's order."

They all ordered burgers and sodas. After eating they headed back to the house that the ISA had procured a few years ago.

"So, where am I bunking?" Shawn asked as they walked into the front hall.

"We saved the room across the walkway for you," Theresa said. "Follow me. I have to put these two down anyway. You can put your stuff down and then we'll show you the com room."

"Sounds good," Shawn nodded.

"We'll meet you there," Stephanie indicated herself and Eric.

"This way," Theresa tilted her head towards the grand staircase.

"This is something out of _Gone With the Wind_ ," Shawn commented as he followed her up.

"Only if Miss Scarlett clubbed Rhett over the head with a lead pipe in the hall," Theresa teased as she backed into a room to the right of the stairs.

Shawn chuckled as he followed her into what he discovered was the nursery. He watched her put the girls into their cribs and kiss them goodnight.

"Any plans to tell Brady?"

She turned around, "Not right now. I know someday they'll want to know their dad, but right now, the only members of Brady's side of the family that I'm willing to have a conversation with are you and Victor."

"Explain that to me," Shawn said as they left the nursery and Theresa led him across the hall. He noticed a bathroom on the right before following her outside to a walkway where he saw another door.

Theresa opened it and let them into a bedroom, "Eric's heading back to Salem soon, so if you want, you can move into the room over the garage, but this should work for now."

"This is nice," Shawn nodded as he put his stuff down and looked around.

"It's private at least," Theresa nodded, "Not to mention it gives you some space from all the girls."

Shawn laughed before he looked back at his cousin, "You gonna answer my question?"

"Your grandfather knew what I was doing when I left. I'm a little mad that he didn't tell Brady, but I'm not going to hold it against him."

"But you'll hold what Brady did against him."

"Whether or not Brady knew what I was doing, he was going to raise my son on the run from the law and away from every member of both our families. If Chloe hadn't dropped the charges, they'd be in the wind right now."

"Okay, point taken," Shawn nodded, "But why keep Victor informed about Sophie and Mena?"

"Victor didn't get to raise Isabella or your dad. He barely got to raise Phillip," Theresa said. "He knows you, Ciara, and Brady. I think he deserves a chance to know his great-grandchildren, too."

"How do Kim and Shane feel about that?"

"They're not thrilled, but they'll go along with it for the time being," Theresa admitted. "I think Dad's a bit more understanding than Mom. He spent half of Andrew and my childhood undercover on some mission or another."

"And now you're doing it," Shawn pointed out.

"No," she shook her head, "Mateo was my first and last field assignment. I've got my forensics training done. I'm a lab rat."

"Okay," Shawn grinned.

"C'mon. I'll show you how to get into the com room and then we can all hit the sack."

"Deal," Shawn agreed before he followed her back downstairs and into the living room to the side of the stairs. She stopped in front of a bookcase and waited for his attention before pulling on a copy of Casino Royale, causing the bookcase to slide away and reveal a large space.

"After you," she motioned.

Shawn stepped into an empty space, "So, where's the room?"

Theresa stepped up beside him and the bookcase shut behind them, "This is the center of the house. Follow me."

Theresa went down a short flight of stairs and Shawn followed her across an uneven floor to another short set of steps that went down and across a narrow path before he found himself facing two sets of small stairs. Theresa went up the ones on the left and opened a door. She turned to look at him.

"You coming or what?"

Shawn followed her and they stepped into a good sized room with bookshelves and audio equipment on a long table. Stephanie and Eric were sitting in big leather armchairs against the wall.

"This is pretty cool," Shawn nodded as Theresa took a seat on the couch. "I wasn't expecting windows."

"No one can see in," Eric said.

"Where do the set of stairs on the right go?"

"To the tower," Stephanie answered. "It's an amazing view."

"Great for stargazing," Theresa added as Shawn sat next to her.

"Good to know," Shawn nodded. "So?"

"Right. Eric?" Theresa nodded to her cousin.

Eric nodded, "I'm gonna be hiding out at a cabin near Salem. I'll let someone stumble upon me before I tell Mom I'm back. Dad will know of course."

Shawn looked to Theresa, "Your dad have any more information on Vivian?"

"No," Theresa shook her head. "She's gone underground. As far as we can tell, she's not even contacting Quinn."

"What is she up to?"

"And more importantly," Stephanie said, "Why is she in cahoots with Andre?"

"Vivian has a lot of history with the DiMera family," Theresa pointed out. "Maybe it's time to see if legal can get us a warrant for Maison Blanche."

"For what?" Eric asked.

"I refuse to believe that Stefano didn't keep some kind of record of his involvement with Vivian. Salem PD has been through the DiMera mansion in Salem about a hundred times over the years and Uncle Roman said there's never been anything."

"So, you think there might be something in the bowels of the house here?" Stephanie theorized.

"Yes," Theresa nodded.

"It's worth a shot. I'll make a call tomorrow," Stephanie nodded.

"And on that note," Theresa stood up.

"Yeah, I'm exhausted," Shawn agreed.

"We'll give you the full tour tomorrow," Eric nodded.

"When do you leave?" Shawn asked.

"About a week," Eric told him. "Don't worry, I'm not leaving you as the man of the house just yet."

Theresa and Stephanie snorted at Eric's teasing.

"You guys go ahead. I'm gonna read for a while," Stephanie said.

"Night, Steph," they waved as they trooped back out.


	2. Chapter 2

I will be skipping around on this story. This is around when Ciara decided to skip town.

-d-d-d-d-d-

"Ciara? I don't know, Shawn. Wouldn't it be easier to go to Japan for a few months and make nice with Belle instead of having Ciara move in with us and swearing her to secrecy?" Theresa frowned.

Stephanie rolled her eyes, "Reesie, Ciara can keep a secret just fine, and you know it."

"I'm not worried about her keeping the ISA thing a secret. I'm more worried she'll let the secret of my daughters out."

"She has no loyalty to Brady," Shawn pointed out.

"She doesn't have much loyalty to me either," Theresa reminded him.

"She does have loyalty to me," Shawn pointed out. "I don't think she and Brady have ever even had a conversation."

"Victor already knows about the girls, so she wouldn't have to keep the secret from him. It might be good to have Ciara in on things. You can pass along pictures using her instead of mailing them and using fake names all the time," Stephanie pointed out.

Theresa considered her cousins' words and nodded in agreement, "I guess we're getting a visitor."

"Where should she stay? Over the garage?" Stephanie posed.

"No, I don't want her out there. I'll move out there for the time being, and she can take my room," Shawn shook his head. He wanted his kid sister to have a little supervision.

"Has she seen anyone?" Theresa asked quietly.

"Not that I know of," Shawn shook his head.

"Maybe that's something to work on while she's here," Stephanie suggested.

"Yeah, maybe," Shawn agreed.

"How much do we tell her?" Theresa asked. "Do we tell her all the secrets of the house?"

"No," Shawn shook his head. "We show her the room next to the chimney off the living room, but the com room and tower are off limits."

"You sure?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah," Shawn nodded.

"Okay," Theresa agreed. "When does she get here?"

"I have to call and give the all clear. She should be here within the next couple of days," Shawn said.

"Okay. I'll be upstairs. I have a stack of reports to get through," Stephanie took her coffee and headed for the staircase.

"And the girls have a check-up," Theresa checked her watch, "For which I am going to be so late if I don't get out of here."

"See you later," Shawn called.

-d-d-d-d-

Theresa was backing her way of out the doctor's office with the double stroller when her cell phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered after fishing her phone out of her purse.

 _"Hey, Reesie,"_ Eric's voice came through the phone.

"Eric, thank God. Are you okay?" she smiled in relief as she pushed the stroller towards her car. "I heard what happened. Wait, where are you? That wasn't your number."

 _"I'm fine, I promise. Look, I don't know if you know this, but Brady was shot."_

"Yeah, I know," Theresa stopped to lean against her car and look down at her girls. "Aunt Hope called Shawn. I won't lie. I thought about getting in the car and driving until I was at his bedside so he could meet them at least once."

 _"What's stopping you?"_

"Everyone else," Theresa admitted. "People think I left Brady and Tate because I was bored. If you add in the fact I kept his daughters a secret until what could be the last moments of Brady's life, I will be a pariah in everyone's eyes."

 _"Your family, the people who love you, know the truth,"_ Eric reminded her.

"Brady was supposed to love me," Theresa said softly. "He didn't see through the lie. The only person who did was Victor. Go figure."

 _"Yeah, go figure,"_ Eric shook his head. _"Anyway, that's not the only reason I'm calling."_

"Okay, what is it?"

 _"Deimos Kiriakis,"_ Eric started.

"What about him? Has Nicole forgiven him?"

 _"No, I don't think anyone will be forgiving him anytime soon,"_ Eric said.

"Eric, what's going on?"

 _"You know how Uncle Bo was held hostage for a long time and that kept him from getting medical treatment,"_ he continued.

"I know. It was Stefano's doing, right?"

 _"No, it was Deimos's,"_ Eric admitted.

Something inside Theresa went very still, "He held his own nephew hostage?"

 _"Yeah,"_ Eric said quietly.

"When's the lynching? I think I'd like to be there."

 _"They're working on it,"_ Eric said. _"You okay?"_

"Yeah. I'm just processing. I should get home. Did Aunt Hope call Shawn?"

 _"I don't know."_

"Alright," Theresa nodded. "Call me if you need to talk, okay? I know being around Nicole's not easy. Just remember we're here."

 _"I love you, too,"_ Eric smiled. _"Bye."_

"Bye," Theresa hung up the phone and sighed before she looked at her daughters, "Okay, my darlings, let's get home."

-d-d-d-d-d-

Theresa opened the kitchen door and came in with the carriers. She sniffed the air and smiled.

"Smells amazing, Steph," she complimented.

"Grandma Jo's stuffed meatloaf," Stephanie smiled. "Where have you been?"

"I made a couple of stops on my way home," she set the girls down and darted back outside. She came in a few moments later with a grocery bag. "I'm gonna make my great-grandma Donovan's cookie recipe. It uses cream cheese instead of butter."

"Who called you?" Stephanie asked knowingly.

"Eric. You?"

"Sonny," Stephanie shook her head. "Shawn's been out in the garage since his phone rang."

"Which brings me to the other stop I made," Theresa checked to see if the girls were sleeping. Since they were, she sat at the table. "You know Mr. Vickers?"

"The guy who runs the junkyard at the edge of town?"

"Yes," Theresa nodded. "I went over there to see if he had anything that could be a project for Shawn and Ciara to work on while she's here."

"And?"

"He happened to get in four junked Harley's last week. He was planning on having his son strip them for parts. I bought them, lock, stock, and barrel."

"All four of them?" Stephanie asked. "That's one hell of a project."

"Maybe we can learn a few things, too," Theresa suggested. "If Shawn and Ciara are anything like Uncle Bo, working with their hands helps them process things."

"You talked to your mom?" Stephanie guessed.

"Yeah," Theresa nodded. "She called while I was at the grocery store. She told me whenever Uncle Bo was upset or just needed some time, he'd go out and start fiddling with whatever machinery Grandpa had lying around in the garage. That's what gave me the idea."

"It must be something in Grandma Caroline's blood because Joey does the same thing."

"Or he gets it from your dad," Theresa suggested.

"Point taken," Stephanie nodded. "How are the bikes getting here?"

"I made sure delivery was included in the purchase price."

"You should have stuck with the business world," Stephanie observed. "You're a good negotiator."

"Oddly enough, I like forensics," Theresa admitted. "Though Dad says such a good shot is wasted in the lab."

Stephanie giggled at that before she got up to check on dinner while Theresa got the girls set up at the table to consume their own dinner.

-d-d-d-d-d-

"This will be your room," Shawn finished his sister's tour by opening the door to what had been his room until yesterday.

"Where do you sleep?" Ciara asked.

"Over the garage," Shawn told her. "It was Eric's room while he was here."

"Okay," Ciara looked around. "It's cute."

"I'm glad you like it," Shawn took a seat in the armchair near the window.

Ciara sat on the bed, "Let me see if I have this right. Theresa gets the master and second bedroom for her and the girls."

"Right."

"Uncle Shane had the engineering unit divide what used to be the third floor ballroom into a bedroom and bathroom for Stephanie and the rest is for a gym."

"Right."

"You're in what used to be Eric's space while I'm taking yours."

"You've got it. Any other questions?"

"No," Ciara shook her head. "Not right now."

"Alright. Why don't you settle in? Your bathroom is unfortunately across the walkway," Shawn rose and walked towards the door.

"Got it. Shawn?"

He turned to look at her, "Yeah?"

"Thank you for letting me come."

"No sweat," Shawn winked at her before he left her room.


	3. Chapter 3

So this is just after Deimos has been murdered.

-d-d-d-d-d-

Stephanie poked her head into her cousin's bedroom and listened. Soft breathing told her the other woman was still asleep. She sighed in decision as she came all the way in and sat down on the empty side of the bed before putting her hand on Theresa's shoulder cautiously.

"Theresa, are you asleep?"

"I was," the muffled voice said before the blankets were removed and they were face to face. "What time is it?"

"Almost seven," Stephanie admitted.

"Steph, it's Saturday," Theresa whined. "Since I can't hear them crying, I'm going to assume my girls are still asleep, so you didn't wake me because something is wrong with them."

"Mom called me."

Theresa sat up immediately, "Is it Grandma?"

"No," Stephanie shook her head. "As far as I know, Grandma's fine."

Theresa sighed in relief, "Thank God. So, why did Aunt Kay call?"

"Deimos is dead," Stephanie said after a moment.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"Deimos Kiriakis is dead."

"How?"

"He was stabbed," Stephanie admitted.

"Who do we send a thank you card to?"

"Theresa," Stephanie frowned.

"Don't, Steph. Don't sit there and pretend you're not just a little bit glad he's no longer breathing the same air as our family."

Stephanie considered her cousin's words and then nodded, "Guilty."

"Did Aunt Kay say anything else?"

"Like?"

"Who did it?"

"Oh, no," Stephanie shook her head. "Apparently there was a big party at the Martin House and Deimos, being the swell guy he is, drugged everyone in attendance. After everyone sobered up, Gabi went for air and in pulling back the curtain of a window, she discovered Deimos's body."

"It could have been anyone at the party," Theresa surmised.

"Yeah," Stephanie nodded.

"I wonder if Shawn or Ciara knows yet," Theresa swung her legs over the side of her bed. Just as her feet touched the floor, footsteps were heard hurrying by her door and then down the stairs. They heard the echo of the front door shutting.

"Ciara knows," Stephanie commented.

"We better get downstairs. Shawn will be coming in to talk to us as soon as what Ciara says registers."

"I'll go check on the girls while you go to the bathroom," Stephanie said.

"Thanks, Steph," Theresa disappeared into the en suite while Stephanie darted across the hall to the nursery.

She heard Mena fussing and could see Sophie moving around a little as she peeked into the crib. She scooped up Mena and bounced a little as she went over to the changing table, "Good morning, Mena."

Theresa came in as Stephanie finished changing Mena. She scooped up Sophie while Stephanie took Mena downstairs to get her set up for breakfast.

By the time Shawn and Ciara entered the house, Stephanie had breakfast cooking and Theresa was feeding the girls. The siblings entered the kitchen and their cousins looked up in anticipation.

Shawn studied them and sighed, "Who called?"

"Mom," Stephanie told him. "You two okay?"

"I'm not sure," Ciara took a seat next to Theresa and looked at her young cousins. She had to smile at how peaceful they were and how normal today was for them. Their mom was feeding them breakfast, and their aunt Steph was a few feet away making breakfast for the big people.

Theresa handed Sophie's breakfast to Ciara and smiled, "She likes you. Go ahead."

Ciara smiled and took over feeding Sophie with a little grin while Theresa concentrated on Mena.

Stephanie looked at Shawn and handed him the spatula, "You're on pancake duty, Brady."

Shawn nodded, "Yeah, okay."

Stephanie exchanged a look with Theresa and nodded slightly. Normal. They all needed it once in a while.

-d-d-d-d-d-

Stephanie heard the creak of someone coming up the stairs as she sat at her desk going over a sheet of numbers. She ignored it, knowing Theresa liked to walk the treadmill while the girls napped.

She raised her head a few moments later when she heard the soft thwacking of repeated punches. Getting up she peeked out her door and spotted Shawn punching the bag in the far corner.

She went back to her work, but when the noise hadn't ceased after thirty minutes, she quietly slipped out of her room and padded across the floor to sit on a bench beside some weights.

Shawn ignored her for a few minutes before he stopped and sighed, "Didn't mean to interrupt you."

"No big deal," she shrugged. "I thought you were Resa at first."

"She's out in the garage with Ciara. The girls are napping in my room while their mom learns motorcycle maintenance."

Stephanie nodded, "You wanna talk?"

Shawn grunted softly as he threw a wild punch, "I wanted to kill him myself."

"Join the club," Stephanie muttered. "You know, he never forgot to call on my birthday? Or Dad's? Not once."

Shawn nodded as he took a seat, "I know. I heard him one year arguing with your mom about waking you up. When I asked him about it the next morning, he explained."

Stephanie smiled, remembering, "He won the argument. He even apologized for calling so late, but he'd been on a stakeout. I didn't care. I was just glad he'd called."

"I think in a lot of ways, your dad was more his brother than Uncle Roman," Shawn admitted quietly.

"I think you're right. Uncle Bo never replaced Uncle Jack, but he and Bo were brothers in a way that Dad and Jack never could be after everything," Stephanie wiped her eyes discreetly. "I should actually give Dad a call in a bit."

"Go," Shawn nodded. "Tell him I said 'hi'. I'll make dinner tonight."

"Resa took out chopped meat. Make burgers," Stephanie gave him a quick hug.

"Aye-aye," Shawn saluted.

-d-d-d-d-

"I'll put them to sleep," Ciara said.

"Are you sure?" Theresa asked. "It can be a lot to carry them both up the stairs at once."

"That is why God invented carriers," Ciara strapped them both in with minimal trouble before standing, "Goodnight guys."

"Night," the three of them called.

Theresa was in a wooden chaise lounge chair with Stephanie at the end of it while Shawn finished cleaning up from dinner. He joined the girls by pulling over a chair and sitting down.

Stephanie suddenly raised her beer, "A toast."

"What?" Shawn looked at her.

"A toast," she said again, "To a good but imperfect man who raised a good but imperfect son."

Shawn chuckled, "To my dad."

Theresa smiled as they all clinked glasses, "Save us a seat at the bar, Uncle Bo."

-d-d-d-d-

Is anyone out there?


	4. Chapter 4

This is after Abigail's hit and run.

-d-d-d-

Theresa frowned at one of her machines in the forensics lab before she reached for her ringing phone, hoping it wasn't the agent for whom she was currently running the tests.

"Hello?"

 _"Theresa? It's Stephanie,"_ her cousin's voice came through the line.

"Hey, Steph. Everything okay?"

 _"I just got a call from Sonny."_

"Is something wrong with Tate?" Theresa momentarily panicked thinking something had happened to her son.

 _"No! No, it's not Tate,"_ Stephanie rushed to assure her. _"It's Abigail."_

"What happened?"

 _"There was a hit and run,"_ the other woman explained.

"Crap," Theresa murmured. "Are you going to Salem?"

 _"No, not unless it's bad. Right now, she's stable."_

"I have a few more tests that need to be done tonight, and then I'll be home. How are Shawn and Ciara?"

 _"Shawn's more upset than Ciara. I talked to Mom. She says Chad won't leave Abby's side."_

That surprised Theresa, "I thought he was involved with Gabby Hernandez."

 _"Some loves never die,"_ Stephanie theorized.

"I guess not. If you guys need to take off, drop the girls here, okay?"

 _"I'll keep you posted,"_ Stephanie promised. _"You okay?"_

"I'm fine. I'm more worried about you guys. I'm the only one in the house not related to Abby."

Stephanie laughed a little on her end.

"I'll see you when I get home," Theresa said.

 _"Okay,"_ Stephanie agreed.

-d-d-d-d-d-d-

Theresa closed the door to the nursery and turned to go towards her room when the light shining through the windows from the open door of Ciara's room caught her attention. She frowned because Ciara had gone to bed hours ago, claiming a headache and yet the younger girl was standing on the walkway looking towards the town.

Theresa cautiously let herself out onto the walkway between Ciara's room and the rest of the house, and silently came to stand beside her cousin.

"Did I wake you?" Ciara asked after a moment.

"No, Sophie did," Theresa told her. "If you want to be alone, I'll understand, but it helps to talk."

"The therapist Shawn keeps making me see tells me that a lot," Ciara snorted.

"How's that going?"

The teen shrugged, "Okay. I know Shawn talked to you and Steph about me staying a little longer."

"It's fine," Theresa assured her. "I got the tporary transfer papers from the registrar's office this morning. They're on the kitchen counter."

"Thanks," Ciara nodded.

"Did you talk to your mom?"

"Yeah, I called her right after I came upstairs. She was at the station."

"Anything new on what happened?"

"She only said Abby wasn't the target," Ciara admitted.

"I didn't think she would be," Theresa shook her head.

"You didn't?" Ciara looked at her.

"I heard Abby was involved with Dario Hernandez. I knew Rafe's father had a history so after Stephanie called me, I ran Dario's name," Theresa admitted. "I also called a snitch my dad knew when he was in Salem."

"And he talked to you?"

"The names Donovan and Brady carry a lot of weight, especially when combined," Theresa smiled. "Word is, Dario pissed off the wrong people."

"Does Mom know?"

"I didn't think she or Rafe would take my call, so I called J.J. He was surprised to hear from me, but he was grateful. He's gonna look into it."

Ciara nodded silently.

"What's wrong, Ciara?"

"I'm just worried about Abby."

"I know you are. I also know that's not the only thing bothering you," Theresa told her.

"Theo won't return my calls," Ciara admitted quietly.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie. I know how much he means to you," Theresa shook her head. She personally didn't understand how a good guy like Theo, who could see through most people, couldn't see through the little poser that was Claire Brady. It was like the girl had gotten every bad quality Belle Black had with none of the good ones from either parents mixed in. Shawn wasn't perfect, but honestly she couldn't see any of Shawn in his daughter.

"I waited too long," Ciara said softly. "Either that, or I am completely repulsive."

"Hey," Theresa said. "You are anything but repulsive. If Theo doesn't see how great you are, it's his loss."

"He gets an 'F' in Ciara, right?"

"We have got to stop watching Buffy," Theresa giggled. "You okay to be alone, or do you want to stay in my room with me? My bed's huge."

"Thanks for the offer, Reesie, but I'm okay."

"If you change your mind, you know where I am," Theresa smiled.

"I know," Ciara smiled.

"See you in the morning," Theresa nodded.

"Night," Ciara said softly as her cousin walked back into the house.

Theresa closed the door behind her and started for her room.

"She okay?" Shawn's voice came out of the dark.

Theresa whirled around, "God, Shawn, you scared me."

"Sorry," he materialized. "I was in the com room talking to Rex. I heard you and Ciara when I walked out the front door. I didn't eavesdrop, but I did hear some of it. She's still upset about Theo, right?"

"Yeah," Theresa nodded. "That's all I'm telling you because I don't know what she wants you to know."

"I'm glad she's talking to you, Theresa," Shawn admitted.

"You're not worried that the bad seed is giving her advice?" she teased.

"You're not the bad seed," Shawn grinned.

"Thanks for that," Theresa smiled. "See you in the morning."

"Night."


	5. Chapter 5

This is after Joey is sent to jail.

-d-d-d-d-d-

"Hey, how's she doing?" Ciara asked her brother as he entered the kitchen.

"I don't know," Shawn shook his head. "She hasn't come out of her room yet."

"Did you call Aunt Kay?"

"Not yet," Shawn said. "I don't know what to say to her."

"Which her?"

"Either," Shawn shrugged.

"Well, tell Steph 'let's go have some fun'," Theresa entered the kitchen.

"Excuse me?" Shawn gave her a look.

"I just talked to Dad. He made arrangements for us to unwind at the resort the ISA keeps in Cabo," Theresa explained.

"Are you serious?" Ciara asked.

"All we need to do is pack and get to the Great Lakes Naval Base. They'll fly us to the base in Cabo."

"All of us?" Shawn asked.

"Every last one of us," Theresa nodded.

"Do you think you'll be able to convince Steph to go?" Ciara asked.

"I don't know. Is knocking her out until we get to Cabo out of the question?"

"Yes!" Shawn frowned.

"Just checking," Theresa shrugged.

"Why don't I try talking to her?" Ciara asked.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Ciara nodded. "You two go pack and do what you have to for the house. I'll talk Steph into coming with us."

"Don't take 'no' for an answer," Shawn told his sister.

"Aye-aye," she mock saluted him.

-d-d-d-d-

Ciara knocked on the door to her cousin's room and waited.

"I don't want to talk," Stephanie's voice said.

"Open up, Johnson," Ciara said. "I promise I don't want to talk about our feelings. I get enough of that with the therapist."

Stephanie opened the door and glared at her cousin, "What is it, Ciara?"

"Get packed," Ciara darted into Stephanie's room.

"Packed?" Stephanie turned to look at her.

"Yep. Theresa talked to Uncle Shane. He made arrangements for us to stay at the ISA resort in Cabo."

"That is the last thing I want to do today."

"That may be, but it's the first thing you need," Ciara opened Stephanie's closet and started sifting through the belongings.

"Ciara, what are you doing?"

"Looking for your suitcase," the younger girl said.

"I didn't say I was going," Stephanie protested.

"You're going," Ciara pulled out the suitcase she found. "Don't pack a lot. I doubt we'll do much besides hang at the pool and the beach."

"I can't go. I'll just bring everyone down," Stephanie sat down on her bed.

Ciara sat next to her, "If you were the one in jail, what would you want Joey doing right now? Would you want him to mope over a mistake he couldn't have prevented, or would you want him to live his life and have a little bit of fun with his family?"

Stephanie attempted to glare at Ciara, but it came out a bit more pathetic. Then she sighed, "You know how Theresa said we should send a thank you card to the person who killed Deimos?"

"Yeah?"

"That's kind of how I feel about Joey killing Ava," she admitted. "She screwed with our family and with Joey's head. Joey shouldn't be in jail for what he did."

"I feel the same way, but legally he did something wrong."

"Morally-"

"He did something to protect everyone he cared about," Ciara nodded. "I think we all know what's legal isn't always moral, and what's moral isn't always legal."

"You have to stop going to your therapist. You're getting way too wise," Stephanie shook her head.

"Does that mean you'll come?" Stephanie asked.

"Did I ever have a choice in the matter?"

"You had the illusion of a choice," Ciara smiled.

"Go pack," Stephanie laughed.

"Same to you," Ciara said.

-d-d-d-d-

"Wow," Ciara looked around the room Shawn had let them into. "This is cool."

"Uncle Shane comes through," Shawn agreed.

"And Steph and Reesie are down the hall," Ciara checked.

"With the girls," Shawn nodded. "I don't know what you said to Steph to get her here, but you did good, Little Sister."

Ciara smiled, "Thanks."

::Knock-knock::

Ciara looked through the peephole and then opened the door to their cousins holding their younger cousins, "Hey, you guys were fast."

"Something about tropical temperatures makes me want to shed my clothes," Theresa smirked.

"That's way too much information about a girl I'm blood related to," Shawn grimaced.

Stephanie snorted, "You two hungry?"

"Starving," Ciara agreed. "Dinner?"

"Yes," Theresa nodded. "Shawn, have I ruined your appetite or will you be joining us?"

"I'm right behind you. I just have to use the facilities," Shawn said. "Get me a beer?"

"You got it," Theresa nodded.

Shawn waited until he heard the girls' voices fade away before he fished his cell phone from his pocket and dialed.

" _Brady,"_ his mom's voice came over the line.

"Hey, Mom," Shawn smiled.

" _Hi, Sweetie,"_ Hope said. _"You made it okay?"_

"Yeah, we're here and good. The girls are waiting for me downstairs. How's everyone else?"

" _Kayla and Steve are upset, of course,"_ Hope admitted. _"The rest of the family is trying to help. How's Stephanie?"_

"I don't know what Ciara said to her, but she got her down here, which is more than Theresa and I accomplished."

" _Is it safe for Theresa to be down there?"_

"I had the same thought. This place is an island onto itself. There's no way for outsiders to get in. I doubt any of Mateo's crew is looking for Theresa."

" _True,"_ Hope agreed. _"I talked to an ISA contact down there. He says that since Mateo was killed, there's been a lot of in-fighting."_

"I've heard the same," Shawn nodded. "Mom, I'll call you again soon. Give Aunt Kay a hug for me."

" _I will,"_ Hope promised. _"Take care of yourself and your sister."_

"I always do."

" _Bye, Sweetie."_

"Bye, Mom," Shawn hung up and then went to join the girls downstairs.

-f-f-f-f-f-

Theresa pulled her hair back and put on a straw hat before she went out into the living room where Stephanie was waiting with the girls.

"Ready?" Theresa asked.

"Yep. The girls are all lotioned up and ready for sun and fun," Stephanie smiled.

"Steph, I'm glad you decided to come," Theresa told her.

"Me, too," Stephanie nodded as they gathered the girls and their stuff to head downstairs. She stopped by the edge of the pool area and looked around, "Joey would've loved this."

Theresa agreed, "Absolutely. He especially would've loved the agents in training that are tanning by the pool before they go back for their final instructions."

Stephanie giggled as she followed Theresa to where Ciara and Shawn were sitting.


	6. Chapter 6

Theresa looked up from the book she was reading when the bookcase opened. Stephanie emerged with a dazed look on her face.

"Steph? What is it?"

"The wedding," she said quietly.

"The double one between Abby and Chad and Sonny and Paul? What about it?"

Stephanie sank into a seat while Theresa got up to make sure the bookcase was closed.

Stephanie looked up at her cousin when she stood next to her, "It had an uninvited guest."

Theresa frowned, "Who?"

"Ben." Stephanie admitted quietly.

"Who let him out of jail?"

"He escaped."

"Of course he did," Theresa rolled her eyes. "What happened? Is Abby okay? Did Ben hurt someone?"

"No," Stephanie shook her head. "He said- Oh my God."

"Steph? Stephanie!" Theresa tried to bring her cousin out of the trance she was sinking into before she called out, "Shawn! Ciara! Get in here!"

Ciara came running in from the kitchen, and Shawn joined them a few seconds later, coming down from the third floor.

"What's wrong?" Shawn asked.

"I don't know. Stephanie came in and got as far as telling me the wedding was interrupted before she went silent," Theresa skimmed a hand over Stephanie's hair.

Shawn got on his knees next to his cousin and gently laid a hand on her arm, "Steph? Can you hear me?"

Ciara looked at Theresa, "Who interrupted the wedding?"

"Ben," Theresa said quietly.

"Ben Weston?" Ciara looked shocked. "How did he get out of jail?"

"Guess," Theresa shook her head and looked at Stephanie, "I'm calling Aunt Kay."

 _ring-ring_

Theresa looked at her phone, "Never mind. Aunt Kayla?"

 _"Theresa, I can't reach Stephanie. Is she with you?"_

"Yeah, she's right here. How do you know if a person is going into shock?"

Kayla sighed, _"I was afraid of that. How far did she get?"_

"Ben Weston showed up at the wedding. What did he do?"

 _"He said-my God, I can't believe this."_

"Aunt Kayla, I'm starting to freak out a little. What the hell did this guy say?"

 _"Sweetie, I think you should sit down."_

Theresa went into the front hall and sat on the steps. Ciara followed and sat next to her.

"Okay, I'm sitting," she told her aunt.

 _"Ben stopped the wedding to tell Sonny that Will is still alive,"_ Kayla said quietly.

"That's not-What?" Theresa wheezed.

Ciara took the phone, "Aunt Kayla, what's going on?...What?"

Theresa's phone found a new home on the floor as it slipped from Ciara's hand.

-d-d-d-d-d-

Shawn let himself into the main house a little after midnight. He'd spent most of the night taking care of the women in his life and hadn't thought of food until his stomach started to rumble. He happened to glance upstairs and saw a dim light coming from the nursery. Thinking he'd left it on after putting them to bed for Theresa, he headed up to turn it off.

He went to switch off the light when a voice stopped him, "Don't."

He looked and saw Theresa sitting against the wall.

He entered and sat down next to her, "You're supposed to be sleeping."

"I tried. I couldn't make it happen," she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Do you think he's lying?"

"If he is, it's one hell of a bad joke."

"I called Eric," Theresa admitted.

"How is he?"

"He's worried about how Sami is going to take this," Theresa shook her head. "There's something else though. I could hear it in his voice. Something else is going on with him. I tried to get him to talk about it, but he kept avoiding it."

"Maybe it's nothing."

"No," Theresa shook her head. "I know him, Shawn. Something's wrong."

"I'll give him a call," Shawn said. "He might feel better talking to another guy about it."

Theresa nodded and focused her gaze on her daughters.

"You can't stay here all night, Reesie," Shawn told her gently.

"Like you didn't call Claire?"

"I did, but I didn't make her stay on the phone all night so I could listen to her breathe."

"I can't make myself leave," Theresa shook her head. "My mind keeps circling around and around. If he's alive then how-who did this? Why do this? Revenge? Who is this sick?"

"Mom had a few ideas."

"Let me guess. They all have the last name DiMera," Theresa laughed shortly.

"One or two of them," Shawn admitted.

"I thought this was over," Theresa shook her head.

"'This'?"

"This sick vendetta that family had against ours," tears clouded Theresa's voice. "Haven't they taken enough? Haven't they screwed up our lives enough? Stefano is dead. Sami had two of his grandchildren. Can't it just be over now?"

"I know," Shawn nodded.

"Shawn, I'm sorry," Theresa looked at him. "If anyone should be angry, it should be you. God, he kept your mom from you for years. He twisted her mind and made her believe she was that Gina person."

"You have the right to be mad, too," he reminded her. "Kristen drugged you and took your son before he was even born."

Theresa closed her eyes at the hazy memories of a cold metal table and needles pinching her skin.

"How could they pull this off?" she wondered out loud. "Sami and Lucas identified his body."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Shawn pointed out. "Uncle Roman died in my dad's arms."

"Plane crashes, gun shots, drugs," Theresa shook her head. "You have to hand it to the DiMera's. They do love the classics."

"Don't forget explosions," Shawn said quietly, remembering the story of how his mom 'died'.

Theresa slid her hand over his, "You got her back."

"And you got Tate back," he told her.

"Only to run out on him and Brady," she said.

"To save their lives," he reminded her.

"But I didn't go back," she said. "I could've. I was so mad he was willing to cut off everyone in our family from Tate just to run away with Nicole, that I stayed away with our girls."

"You could go back," Shawn pointed out. "Victor knows the truth. He'd back you up."

"I know," Theresa nodded. "I know how strange this sounds, but I feel like we're safer here."

"Safer?"

"Yeah," Theresa nodded. "How crazy is that? There is a DiMera ancestral home not five minutes away, yet I feel safer here than I think I would in Salem."

"The only people who know we're here is family," Shawn conceded before he looked at her, "You're staying here all night, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Theresa nodded, "You don't have to. Go back to bed."

"I actually came in to get something to eat," Shawn admitted.

"Go," Theresa lifted her head and rested it against the wall. "I'll be okay."

"I'll be back," he promised.

"Shawn," Theresa shook her head.

"I'll be back," he repeated.

"Bring chips," she requested as he got to the door.

"You got it," Shawn smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

Is there anyone out there?

-d-d-d-d-

Theresa slipped into the classroom where Shawn was currently doing a demonstration for his students. As he got up, he spotted her. She gave him a little waved. He nodded and returned his attention to his students.

"Okay, pair up and give the move a shot," he instructed. "I'll be in the back of the room if you need a hand."

Theresa leaned against the wall waiting for him to join her. When he did, he stood in front of her, blocking her from view. It was a move they'd been taught at an early age; make sure you don't let anyone see your mouth move in case they can read lips.

Sometimes having half of your family as a member of one law enforcement agency or another came in handy.

"So?"

"Eric called," Theresa revealed. "It's Will."

"My God," Shawn breathed. "How?"

"Susan Banks's grief reached epic proportions," Theresa shook her head. "She has Will believing he's EJ."

"Say again?"

"Totally brainwashed," Theresa nodded. "Sami is freaking out."

"He doesn't remember anything?" Shawn double checked.

"Nothing," Theresa shook her head.

"How's Theo?" Shawn asked about the younger man his daughter was dating.

"Still unconscious," Theresa admitted. "Ciara called. She got home safe."

"That's something," Shawn nodded and moved on to his cousin, "J.J.?"

"Isn't answering his cell," Theresa shook her head. "Stephanie's been calling for hours. She is really worried. Johnson men, last name notwithstanding, do not do well when they feel like they've let everyone down."

"Neither do Horton men. Maybe I should go home for a while," Shawn mused.

"It is almost Christmas," Theresa pointed out. "I'm sure your mom and Claire would like to see you."

"I don't like leaving you and Steph alone for the holiday."

"We won't be," Theresa smiled. "My folks called this morning. They tracked Drew down. They'll be here in about a week."

"Make sure they stay until I get back. I haven't seen Drew in a while and neither has Eric. I'll bring him back with me for a few days. We can do the Brady men bonding thing."

"Good idea," Theresa said. "Nicole taking off the way she did really messed him up."

"I know," Shawn promised. "I should get back to teaching."

"And I need to get back to testing," Theresa said. "Come get me when you're done."

"Okay," Shawn nodded his head and watched Theresa leave before he turned back to his class and caught a couple of his students staring at his cousin's disappearing form. "Ahem. Back to practicing, please."

The trainees all had the grace to look a bit embarrassed and avoided his eyes.

-d-d-d-d-d-

Theresa stood at the foot of her bed folding clothes absently as she thought of everything her family, blood or not, was going through back in Salem.

"I got hold of Aunt Jen," Stephanie entered the room without knocking and sat on Theresa's bed.

"And?"

"JJ was cleared by IA," Stephanie informed her.

"Abe's not gonna like that," Theresa shook her head, putting aside the shirt she'd folded and climbing on the bed to lie on her side.

Stephanie lay on her back and brought her legs up so her feet were flat on Theresa's blanket covered bed, "Yeah, he's not happy, but, mayor or not, he can't do anything about it."

"Steph, why don't you go home for the holiday? I'm sure your folks would love it."

"I mentioned it to Mom, and Marlena told her it wouldn't be good for Will to have a lot of people shoved in his face."

"Then invite them here," Theresa suggested. "Mom and Dad are coming. I'm sure our moms would love to spend the holiday together."

"You sure?"

"Yes," Theresa nodded enthusiastically. "They could use the distraction the girls will provide."

"First Christmas without Joey," Stephanie nodded sadly.

"How's he doing?"

"He writes that he's dealing the best he can," Stephanie shook her head. "I wish he'd let me visit."

"Does he let your folks?"

"Yes, but he keeps it short," Stephanie admitted.

"Do you think if I sent him a letter, he'd write me?"

Stephanie turned her head to look at her cousin, "Really?"

"Yeah," Theresa nodded. "Family's family, even if they're in jail."

"I kinda love you," Stephanie smiled.

"Right back at you," Theresa grinned.

-d-d-d-d-

 _And everything looks better in gold and green_

 _The lights on the trees shining all through the city_

 _Are the prettiest I've ever seen_

 _And the world decides to sleep safe tonight_

Theresa smiled as she looked out the window of the living room after they'd had dinner. It was Christmas Eve and she, her parents, her brother, and her girls were under the same roof for the holiday. Who could ask for a better present?

"Hey, Kid," Steve walked up beside her and handed her a glass. "It's just iced tea."

"Thanks," Theresa smiled. "How are you and Aunt Kay doing?"

"This helps," he admitted.

"And your eyesight?"

"Good enough to enjoy seein' the looks on your girls' faces tonight," he smiled.

Theresa looked over to where her girls were sitting with her mom, Aunt Kayla, and Stephanie, playing with their toys. Her gaze skipped over to where her dad and Drew were playing chess, each with a glass of port and a smile.

"It's a good night," she murmured.

"It is," Steve agreed and clinked his glass with hers.

"I should be getting them to bed," Theresa looked over her shoulder.

"Let me," Kimberly stood up.

"Mom, are you sure?"

"I'll help her," Kayla chimed in.

"Okay," Theresa nodded. "Thanks."

Her mom and aunt brought the girls over so Theresa could kiss them and whisper goodnight before heading upstairs.

"They're not the only tired ones," Stephanie yawned.

"I think the time difference is starting to catch up with me," Drew agreed.

"Drew, you sure you're okay above the garage?" Theresa asked her brother.

"I'll be fine," he assured her.

"Okay," Theresa nodded and gave him a hug, "Night, Big Brother."

"See you in the morning," Drew smiled before he exited with a wave.

"Dad, you and Mom are in my room," Stephanie double checked.

"Yeah," Steve nodded.

"And Dad, you and Mom are in the room across the walkway," Theresa nodded.

"That we are," Shane nodded. "Why don't you and Stephanie go on? Tell your mother I'll be up soon."

"Stephanie, tell your mom the same," Steve said.

"Alright," the girls agreed before hugging their respective fathers and heading upstairs.

"What's up?" Steve turned to his friend once they were alone.

"I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?" Steve was confused.

"You could've called Brady as soon as you laid eyes on my granddaughters. I know John's a good friend," Shane elaborated.

"I won't lie. I thought about it. But to be honest? The way Brady's behavin' back in Salem is enough for me to keep their existence to myself."

"That's the other reason Kim and I are here. We want to talk to Theresa about her mother and I suing Brady for custody of Tate," Shane admitted.

"Big step," Steve observed. "You know if it backfires, Brady might not let any of Theresa's family near Tate again."

"Like he's been doing such a good job of it so far? Kim talked to Roman the other day. Brady hasn't brought Tate to see Caroline in months," Shane reported.

"I didn't know, Man. I'm sorry," Steve shook his head. "Speakin' of Theresa's family, have you talked to Eve lately?"

"Last night," Shane nodded.

"She know about this?"

"No. Right now, my oldest is focused on making her late husband's family suffer."

"Sounds about right," Steve nodded. "Any chance of her mother talkin' sense to her?"

"Gabrielle has been out of touch for a long time. I wouldn't even know where to begin looking for her," Shane admitted.

Steve nodded silently, "We should head up."

"You go on. I'll see you in the morning," Shane shook the other man's hand.

Once he was alone he checked his watch and did the mental math, calculating the time. It was only a little after seven in California but he doubted the lawyer he and Kim had consulted would still be in the office on Christmas Eve.

That didn't mean he couldn't leave a message he reasoned and fished his cellphone from his pocket.

Once the outgoing message played, Shane left his own, instructing the man to have his Illinois contact draw up the preliminary paperwork for custody of Tate.

After he'd hung up, he shut the lights off and headed upstairs to turn in for the night.


	8. Chapter 8

"Shawn? Shawn, wake up," Theresa stormed up the stairs to the garage apartment with great urgency. "Shawn, wake up."

"No," her cousin grumbled.

"Shawn, you have to. We have an incoming call in the com room. Steph and Drew are waiting for us."

Shawn groaned and sat up, "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Theresa shook her head. "All I know is we all got an alert on our cell phones- why didn't you?"

"Probably because mine died last night after I called my mom to say 'Happy New Year'," he admitted.

"Got it," Theresa dug Shawn's sneakers out of his gym bag. "Here. Do you need jeans?"

"No, I've got sweats on," he reluctantly uncovered himself and swung his legs over the side of his bed and shoved his feet into his sneakers. "Please tell me there's coffee."

"Steph has a cup with your name on it in the com room. Grab a jacket, it's freezing out."

Shawn nodded and grabbed his Salem PD hoodie, shrugging it on and zipping it up as he followed Theresa down the stairs.

-d-d-d-d-

"Okay, I got him," Theresa announced as she and Shawn entered the room. "Are we connected?"

"Just about," Drew nodded.

"Who's calling at this ungodly hour?" Shawn accepted a cup of coffee from Stephanie.

"It's Eric," Theresa told him.

"If he's calling to tell us about his date last night, I'm going to kill him."

"I told you not to do tequila shots," Stephanie giggled.

"Yeah, you're oh so smart," Shawn frowned.

"Alright, here we go," Drew said as Eric's face appeared on the screen. "Morning, Eric."

 _"Hey, guys,"_ Eric smiled at his family. _"Sorry to do this so early."_

"It's okay," Stephanie smiled. "Most of us were awake."

Theresa snorted at the miserable look Shawn shot at Stephanie before turning her attention to Eric, "What's going on?"

 _"Well, first things first. We found Vivian Alamain."_

"Where?" Drew asked.

 _"She's here,"_ Eric explained.

"She's in Salem?" Theresa looked stunned.

 _"Popped up at TBD just after midnight,"_ Eric nodded. _"She wasn't alone."_

"Oh God, please don't tell me she somehow resurrected her nephew," Shawn groaned, remembering Lawrence from his childhood.

 _"No, he's still ashes,"_ Eric shook his head. _"Apparently she and Stefano had a larger connection than anyone realized."_

"What are you talking about, Eric?" Stephanie asked.

 _"She and Stefano share a child. Reesie, you should be getting a file from Aunt Kayla delivered sometime today. It has all the material needed for a DNA test."_

"I'll head for the lab as soon as we hang up. Steph, can you keep-"

"I'll watch the girls," Stephanie nodded. "Eric, did you call the home office?"

 _"Yeah,"_ Eric nodded. _"They're doing their research. They're trying to track down Vivian's old manservant."_

"Ivan," Shawn nodded.

 _"Yeah, apparently he's the one responsible for the lifelong separation."_

"Is he still working as a Bollywood producer?" Shawn asked.

 _"We don't know,"_ Eric shook his head. _"That's where we're starting. We'll fan out from there."_

"What's this guy's name?" Theresa asked.

Eric snorted, _"You'll love this. It's Stefan Octavius DiMera."_

"Stefan O. DiMera," Stephanie shook her head. "Unbelievable."

"Wasn't one enough?" Shawn shook his head.

"Seriously," Theresa rolled her eyes.

 _"Sorry to dump all this on you first thing,"_ Eric apologized.

"It's okay," Drew assured him. "It's the job. Keep your eyes open, Eric."

"Watch your six," Shawn added.

 _"Same to you guys,"_ he smiled. _"Also, happy New Year."_

"Same to you," Theresa grinned as the others nodded and waved before Drew cut the feed.

It was a few moments before Stephanie broke the silence, "Maybe he won't be a bad guy. I mean Chad is a decent guy. Abby is crazy about him. EJ had his good points, right? He had to have something to make Sami marry him so many times. Just because this guy is a DiMera-"

"He's not just a DiMera," Drew pointed out.

"Half DiMera, half Alamain," Shawn said. "Two of the worst families Salem has ever seen and both their DNA inside one man."

"We're so screwed," Theresa nodded.

"First things first," Shawn said. "We find out if Vivian is telling the truth."

"I'm lab bound. Drew, will you be here when I get back?" Theresa asked her brother.

"No," her brother shook his head. "I think I'll do some recon and visit Grandma at the same time."

"Stay out of sight and be careful," Theresa hugged him. "Keep in touch, okay?"

"I promise," he said.

"Don't forget to let the commissioner know you're in town," Shawn smiled.

Drew grinned as he gave his cousin a hug, "I'll tell her you send your love."

"Tell my parents the same," Stephanie was next.

"I will," Drew smiled.

"I should put some more professional clothes on," Theresa looked down at herself.

"You want some coffee to go?" Stephanie asked.

"No, but can you make me that chai tea my mom gave me?"

"Coming up," Stephanie nodded as they all left the com room and headed into the main part of the house before they split up.

-d-d-d-d-d-

"Knock-knock," Shawn poked his head into the lab Theresa worked in. It was quiet and empty. He looked around and saw Theresa at her desk in the next room. He walked over and slid the door open, "Reesie?"

"Hey," she shook her head. "Sorry. I know you called. I just didn't want to talk. I would've gotten home okay."

Shawn leaned against her desk and caught her eye, "Since you're not in a better mood I'm guessing the results were confirmed. He's Stefano and Vivian's kid."

"Yeah, he's their kid alright. Steph is talking to legal about that warrant we talked about last year when you first got here."

"She thinks there's some kind of record of him in the house?"

"Stefano didn't miss a trick," Theresa shook her head, "He wouldn't miss a kid."

"Point taken. What else is wrong?"

"Nothing," Theresa shook her head.

Shawn wasn't buying it. He'd lived with Theresa and Stephanie for almost a year now. He knew them better than either of them would like to admit. Theresa's entire being was screaming that something was wrong with her.

"Try again," he said gently.

Theresa looked up at him and sighed, "When Dad and Mom were here for the holiday, they talked to me about them suing Brady for custody. I told them it wasn't fair to him. I left him and have no plans on letting him into the girls' lives anytime soon. He didn't deserve to have Tate taken away from him, too, but they told me they've been hearing rumors about Brady falling off the wagon. He's not exactly making an effort to include my family in Tate's life. He hasn't brought him to see Grandma in months. I thought it over and before they left I told them if they could offer me solid proof Brady isn't a good role model for Tate they'd have my blessing to sue him."

"And?" Shawn asked.

"Dad hired a very sneaky P.I. who found out Brady is over the mourning period of his relationship with Nicole and has made a flying leap off the wagon in spectacular fashion."

"Who's Brady seeing?"

"I don't know if he's seeing her, but he did spend New Year's Eve with my big sister."

"He's dating Eve?" Shawn said once her words registered. "Reesie, that's a little…"

"Incestuous? Yeah, I'm aware. I'm also not entirely sure it's on the up and up."

"What do you mean?"

"Stephanie talked to Sonny the other day. He and Brady both want control of Titan, but Eve has control of Bella Magazine."

"Do you think Brady's trying to seduce Eve into giving him back Bella so he can be CEO at Titan again?"

"Tell me I'm way off base," Theresa looked at him.

"I would, but I'm not so sure you are," Shawn said quietly.

"Was he always like this or is this my fault?" Theresa asked. "If he's playing Eve just to get control of Titan back, then I don't want him near Tate."

"Agreed," Shawn nodded, "And no, you didn't cause this. He has the ability to make choices. He's just making the wrong ones right now."

"I feel like I should warn Eve, even if I don't know anything for sure," Theresa thought out loud.

"Just tell her to be careful," Shawn said after a beat.

Theresa looked up at him and sighed, "I'm sorry. Brady's your family, too. I shouldn't be putting you in the middle of this."

"There's family and then there's _family_ ," Shawn smirked. "You, your girls, and Steph are more my family than Brady's ever been."

"You remember the night you sat up with me watching my girls sleep?"

"Sure," Shawn nodded.

"It occurred to me that if Stefano hadn't let Uncle Roman come home, Brady and I would've grown up as cousins."

"But then Tate, Mena, and Sophie wouldn't exist," Shawn pointed out.

"Neither would Claire because you and Belle would've grown up as cousins, too."

"Twists of fate," Shawn nodded.

"And it's making my head hurt," Theresa admitted.

"C'mon let's go home," Shawn put out his hand and Theresa nodded, taking it and letting him pull her up.

-d-d-d-d-

Theresa looked at her daughters as they slept before she opened her phone and clicked to a picture of Tate taken just before she left. She took a deep breath and dialed her sister.

 _"Hello?"_

"Eve? It's me. If you're around people don't say my name out loud," Theresa left the nursery and shut the door behind her as she walked across the hall to her own room.

 _"Hey, how are you? It's been a while."_

"You're not alone," Theresa surmised as she sat on her bed.

 _"That's right,"_ Eve responded.

"I'll keep it short. Be careful when it comes to Brady. I have a bad feeling he's doing what he's doing for reasons other than he might be saying."

 _"Do you know anything specific?"_

"Just that both Brady and Sonny want control of Titan, and you have control of an important subsidiary," Theresa said.

 _"Thanks for the heads up. How are you?"_

"I'm okay. I'm safe. If you can, give Tate a kiss for me, okay? I love you. Bye."

 _"Me, too. Bye,"_

Theresa hung up the phone and then leaned back, hoping she'd done the right thing.

-d-d-d-d-d-

This is a reminder that my Theresa is not going to be escaping and leaving anyone behind because in my version of events Mateo is pushing up daisies.


	9. Chapter 9

Getting closer to a grand return to Salem

-d-d-d-d-

"Alright, Eric," Shawn spoke to his cousin via a video conference. "Thanks for calling. I'll talk to you soon."

 _"Night, Shawn,"_ Eric nodded.

Shawn disconnected the feed and leaned back in the chair he was occupying, running a hand over his face.

He looked up when the door opened and Stephanie stepped through carrying a bowl, "You missed dinner. Reesie made Grandma's soup."

"How'd it come out?"

"Pretty good," Stephanie carefully handed the bowl to him. "What's the latest?"

Shawn took the offered food and carefully tasted it before nodding his agreement to Stephanie's assessment of the dish's contents. Then he looked back at her, "JJ's okay. He's started talking to Eric."

"Glad to hear it," Stephanie nodded. "Any DiMera news?"

"The newest progeny is currently taking up residence in the DiMera mansion, and he can do so because he took over the mortgage from the bank Chad went to. He and Mommy Dearest are living with the rest of them."

"Maybe I'll call Abby later to see how she's dealing," Stephanie sighed.

"Tell her I said 'hi'," Shawn smirked, "And remind her there's always Maison Blanche."

"Right," Stephanie nodded. "Anything else?"

"Looks like I'll be heading to Salem for a wedding in the near future," Shawn admitted.

"I'm glad. Your mom deserves to be happy."

"She does, and I'm glad she and Rafe are good again."

"But?" Stephanie prodded.

"It's just weird."

"We all miss him, Shawn," Stephanie smiled sadly. "I have to believe your dad would not want your mom to remain the Widow Brady for the rest of her life."

"Why didn't your mom ever remarry?" Shawn asked after a moment of contemplation while he ate a few bites of his dinner.

"I don't know," Stephanie shook her head. "I think she was just scared. Look at the way we thought my dad died. Then there was the way Aunt Kim's second time around crashed and burned."

"Phillip Collier was a jerk," Shawn frowned.

"Agreed. I think risking her heart again just scared her too much."

"And you? How's your heart doing?"

Stephanie blushed a touch, "Nathan and I are getting a little closer. It's weird the second time around."

"He's a good guy," Shawn smiled.

"And that's not because he's your cousin, right?"

"Absolutely not," Shawn shook his head. "If I thought he was a jerk, I'd have no problem telling you. I can very plainly say Brady is a jerk."

"Agreed," Stephanie shook her head. "Speaking of, did Eric mention Brady at all?"

"Still seeing Eve," Shawn admitted.

"I guess she didn't take Theresa's warning to heart."

"Or she did and is trying to play Brady the way we think Brady's playing her."

"You know, father of my goddaughters or not, if I see Brady anytime soon, he's going to be lucky if all I do is deck him," Stephanie frowned darkly.

Shawn smirked and nodded as he continued to eat his soup.

"I'm serious, Shawn. It's like Brady's playing 'Will the real next generation of Kiriakis please stand up?' I know Uncle Justin pulled a few schemes in his day, but I don't think he was ever this bad."

"Yeah, I know. Brady's definitely in the running for Victor Jr."

"Does that mean you're no longer on the fence about whether Theresa's doing the right thing in keeping her girls away from Brady?"

"I hopped off the fence a long time ago, Steph," Shawn shook his head. "Brady will never hear about Mena and Sophie from me."

Stephanie smiled, "Good, because you know since we're cousins and all, I really didn't want to knock you out."

"Think you can take me, Johnson?"

"I know I can," Stephanie grinned.

-d-d-d-d-d-

"Donovan," Theresa answered her phone as she jogged towards town in the early morning light.

 _"Hey Sis,"_ her brother's voice greeted her.

"What's up, Drew?" she smiled.

 _"Andre DiMera is dead,"_ he said without preamble.

"What?" she stopped in her tracks, causing her companion to stop as well.

 _"Yeah, someone bashed in his head last night."_

"Did you get close enough to look at the body?"

 _"Negative,"_ he answered. _"I've been playing custodian at DiMera and therefore have no way of accessing the crime scene without drawing attention."_

"Right," Theresa nodded. "Did you get a chance to talk to Rafe or Hope?"

 _"Rafe doesn't know who I am, and it wouldn't look good for the commissioner to have a clandestine meeting with someone people think is a DiMera employee."_

"Then we have no way of getting any of the evidence sent to our labs for analysis," Theresa concluded.

 _"Not at the moment,"_ Drew reported.

"Alright, you know the drill: stick as close as you can without drawing suspicion," Theresa said.

 _"Done,"_ her brother agreed.

"Hopefully this goes without saying, but be careful," Theresa told him. "Love you."

 _"Love you, too,"_ Drew returned.

Theresa hung up the phone and looked at Shawn, "You are never going to believe this one."

-d-d-d-d-

"So, what it all boils down to is they think it was Gabby," Stephanie flopped onto Theresa's bed, face down.

"That DA has a real hard on for Gabby," Theresa shook her head.

"It doesn't help that she has no alibi and threatened Andre after being fired," Shawn pointed out.

"Point taken," Theresa nodded. "Is Justin going to represent her if it gets to that point?"

"Of course," Stephanie lifted her head.

"I can hear Julie now," Shawn shook his head. "She probably thinks this is justice for what Gabby did to Nick."

"I know she's your aunt, but Julie's got some serious blinders on when it comes to Nick," Stephanie said.

"No doubt," Shawn nodded.

"Anything more from Drew?" Stephanie asked.

Theresa shook her head, "No. He's being pulled from Salem anyway. They need him for some op in Europe."

"How's Grandma doing?" Shawn asked.

"Not great," Theresa admitted. "Promise you'll check on her when you go for your mom's wedding?"

"Yeah, I will," Shawn nodded.

"I think I'm falling asleep," Stephanie said, "I know I should go upstairs and do it, but I can't make myself move."

"It's okay, Steph," Theresa smiled. "I'm not real big on being by myself tonight. You can stay."

"You know it's really cold out," Shawn started.

"Yes, Shawn, you can stay, too," Theresa giggled. "I'm gonna check on the girls and make sure we're locked up. I'll be right back."

Just as Theresa checked the lock on the front door her cell phone rang. She put it eye level and sighed at the name flashing on the screen.

It was Victor.

She debated a moment before she answered, "Hello, Victor. What can I do for you?"

 _"I hope I'm not waking you,"_ Victor's voice, though roughened by age, was still silky in tone.

"Not at all," Theresa said. "Everything's alright I hope."

 _"Everything's just fine,"_ he assured her. _"I'm calling because I was hoping to arrange a visit."_

"Victor, I have no interest in returning to Salem," Theresa told him straight out.

 _"I'm aware of that,"_ Victor told her. _"However, I'm willing to offer a compromise. What if you and the girls meet me in Chicago for lunch?"_

"It would have to be a weekend," Theresa reminded him.

 _"Saturday after next would be best,"_ Victor said. _"Does that work for you?"_

"I think I can manage that," Theresa nodded. "I'll call you with a location."

 _"Of course,"_ Victor agreed. _"Thank you."_

"We'll see you then," Theresa hung up the phone. She turned and startled when she spotted Shawn on the stairs. "You scared me."

"I'm going with you."

"I know."

"No arguments?"

"I was gonna ask you anyway," she admitted.

"Good to know," Shawn smiled.

-d-d-d-d-

Victor placed his phone on the table in his living room and considered the conversation he'd just had.

It'd been well over a year since Theresa had taken her leave of Salem and almost exactly a year since she'd reported she wasn't coming back.

 _ **"As far as I'm concerned, Victor, your grandson can go to hell."**_

She'd wanted to take Tate from him, but knowing a court would never give her custody, she'd been resigned to let Brady raise him.

As for her daughters, Victor knew it would be a good long time before she let either of them step foot in Salem even though she desperately wanted Caroline to meet them. She talked about taking them to Venice and letting them see where their grandmother had grown up. There was also a possible trip planned to Donovan manor to show them where their grandfather had grown up and maybe to Ireland to show them where their great-grandfather had come from.

Victor knew it might take some doing, but he did want his great-granddaughters to see their ancestral home in Greece as well.

"Victor?" Maggie called from the hall.

"In here," he said over his shoulder.

The redhead entered the room and smiled, "There you are. Is everything alright?"

"I just had a call to make before I went to sleep. It's done. Shall we retire for the evening?"

"I think that would be wonderful," Maggie smiled.

Victor nodded and followed his wife to bed.

-d-d-d-d-

It occurred to me that I never told you all who I pictured as Drew. It's Colin Egglesfield.


	10. Chapter 10

I would like to thank my faithful reader who always responds. Is there anyone but RHatch89 reading this?

-d-d-d-d-

"You sure you don't want me to sit at the table with you?" Shawn asked as he and Theresa crossed the lobby of the Four Seasons on their way to the restaurant.

"We'll be fine, Shawn," Theresa smiled ruefully as she pushed the carriage. "Just sit at the bar and keep us in sight, okay? Also, make sure to signal me if Victor has company in the form of Brady."

"You got it," Shawn hung back to separate from Theresa and headed for the bar.

Meanwhile Theresa reached the hostess's stand and asked for a table, telling the hostess she was expecting one more person and describing Victor, before being seated.

After making sure Shawn could see them and that the girls were settled, she started to study her menu.

"Theresa?"

She looked up and smiled, "Hello, Victor." She started to fold her menu to rise but he laid a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Please don't," he took a seat. "Thank you for coming."

"I admit I was surprised by your call. I wasn't expecting it."

"It's been a few months since I've seen my great-granddaughters," Victor said. "Did they like their Christmas gifts?"

"They did," she nodded. "What's going on, Victor?"

"Straight to the point," Victor nodded.

"I've found it saves time," she said evenly, keeping eye contact with the older man. For a moment, she imagined him as the young man her grandmother had been in love with. It wasn't hard. As old as he was, Victor was still a good-looking man.

"Fair enough," Victor put his menu aside, "I think you need to come home."

"I knew this was coming," Theresa shook her head and released a deep sigh. "I'm not interested in seeing Brady anytime in the near future."

"Theresa, I know deep down you still care about my grandson."

"He's the father of my children. I'll always care about him. I just don't want to be anywhere near him," Theresa said flatly.

"I know what he planned to do with Nicole was-"

"Stupid," Theresa finished, "Insane. Pick an adjective that means crazy or ill-advised and insert it into your sentence. Victor, I know he's dating my sister. I'm also pretty sure I know why he's dating my sister. I can't save him from himself. He's a grown up. He wants to act like an ass, it's up to him."

"What about Tate?"

Theresa sighed, internally debating about whether or not to tell Victor that Tate might not be Brady's concern for much longer. Just as she opened her mouth, Victor's phone rang.

"Go ahead," Theresa nodded.

"Thank you," Victor answered his cell phone. "Hello?...Justin? He got what? From who? I see. Thank you."

Victor hung up the phone and looked at Theresa, "Brady just received papers informing him he's being sued for custody of Tate by your parents."

"They told me they were thinking about it," Theresa admitted. "I didn't know they were moving forward."

"Brady's his father."

"Brady is an alcoholic who made a spectacular leap off the wagon after he and Nicole crashed and burned. Brady is cultivating a relationship with my sister in order to regain a company. I may not be able to get Tate away from him, but if my parents can, more power to them," Theresa stood up, "Thank you for the offer of lunch, but I'm not hungry any more. Have a good trip back to Salem."

Once Theresa and the girls were outside the hotel and out of sight of the front doors, she stopped pushing the stroller and leaned against the wall of a building, trying to control her breathing.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked into Shawn's face before he pulled her into a hug, "It'll be okay."

"Can we go home before Victor gets the idea to tell Brady I'm in Chicago?"

"Absolutely," Shawn agreed and turned to get their car from the valet.

-d-d-d-d-

"No, Mom, I'm not mad. I just wish you'd have given me some warning, so I wasn't sitting at the same table as Victor when he got the news you were suing for custody of his great-grandson."

" _I'm sorry, Sweetheart. We didn't realize it was going to happen so quickly. I thought it'd be another week before Brady was served,"_ Kim explained.

Theresa sighed as she leaned against the railing of the front hall staircase, "Has Dad talked to Eve?"

" _He has. She's not happy."_

"She's taking Brady's side? Unbelievable," Theresa shook her head. "Are you and Dad back in Salem?"

" _We got in last night,"_ Kim confirmed.

"How's Grandma?"

" _Not well, Sweetie. If you want her to meet the girls, I don't think you should wait,"_ Kim said.

"Is she well enough to travel? Could you bring her here?"

" _Her doctor said she shouldn't be taken out of her comfort zone."_

"I'll see if I can sneak into town soon."

" _Let me know,"_ Kim said. _"We'll talk soon, alright?"_

"Okay, Mom. Love you and tell Dad the same," Theresa said.

" _I will. We love you, too."_

Theresa hung up and set her phone aside before massaging her temples.

"You okay?" Stephanie sat down beside her.

"Yeah, peachy," Theresa muttered.

"Talk," Stephanie bumped her.

"I have to go to Salem."

"Oh, God. Victor got to you," Stephanie assumed.

"No. Mom did," Theresa said. "Grandma's not doing so well, and I want to be able to tell the girls that their great-grandma held them once before she died."

"I'll go with you," Stephanie said.

"No," Theresa shook her head. "Too many people means a bigger chance of someone catching on."

"Let me rephrase: I'm going with you so I can see Abby."

"Yeah, I heard about her testimony," Theresa said. "What's that about?"

"I don't know, but something's going on there. Gabi didn't kill anyone."

"Are we sure about that? I mean, she's great and all, but she did kill Nick," Theresa pointed out.

"Point taken, but she's not stupid. She is not going to confess to murder in a bathroom in a courthouse during her trial. Something else is going on there," Stephanie shook her head.

"Okay," Theresa nodded. "Next Sunday? I'll spend the afternoon with Grandma. You find out what hell is wrong with Abby."

"Deal," Stephanie nodded.

-d-d-d-d-d-

Theresa sat on the steps that went from the kitchen to the apartment above the pub where her grandparents had raised her mother, uncles, and aunt looking through pictures on her phone.

"There you are," Uncle Roman said from behind her.

"Are the girls awake?" Theresa asked.

"Still sound asleep, as is Ma," Roman sat down on the step behind her. "It was good to see you all today."

"It was good to see you guys, too," Theresa nodded.

"But?" Roman nudged her.

"Every time Grandma called me 'Mama' I wondered if she'd remember this for long," Theresa admitted.

"I know," Roman nodded. "To be fair, you do look a lot like her mother."

Theresa snorted.

"I see Isabella in your girls."

"Shawn tells me that sometimes," Theresa nodded.

"I didn't know her well, but she was a good lady," Roman reminisced.

Theresa sighed, "I know one day the twins will ask about their father and his side of the family. I don't know what I'm going to tell them."

"You could do some research," Roman suggested, "Or you could tell Brady they exist."

"Nicole Walker," Theresa said. "He was going to take my son and go on the run with Nicole Walker. Forget that he would've been breaking the law and if he'd been caught, they could've tossed him in jail and put Tate in foster care. He was willing to cut every single member of both our families out of Tate's life for a woman who ended up leaving him in the end."

"Theresa-"

"When I found out I was pregnant with the girls, Dad got me out of Mexico and put me in a safe house. I couldn't get in touch with anyone. I watched television, but I couldn't use the internet. I read papers and books. The day Dad told me I could call Salem I was so happy. I dialed the mansion, hoping Brady would pick up. Victor picked up instead. He was happy to hear from me. I told him the whole story. Then he shared one of his own.

"When we hung up, I started to think. This wasn't a snap decision. It wasn't arbitrary. This isn't revenge. I'm not pouting. I know with one hundred percent certainty that if I let Brady back into my life, at the first sign of trouble, he'll use me keeping the girls from him as ammunition in a court battle. Right now, he has custody of Tate. I'm not letting him get hold of my girls so the latest love of his life can raise them, even if she is my sister."

"Alright," Roman said.

"Alright?"

"I happen to agree with you about a lot of your reasons."

"Thank you," Theresa smiled.

"I ran into Maggie," Roman admitted.

"Let me guess," Theresa nodded, "She wants you to 'talk some sense' into my mom."

"Basically," Roman nodded. "She wasn't too happy when I told her I think Kim and Shane are doing the right thing."

"I was on the fence about this at first," Theresa admitted.

"And now?"

"For the last few months, Dad's been sending me P.I. reports. Brady's spiraling in the worst of ways. I don't want Tate around that."

"Does that mean you'll come back for the trial?"

"Dad asked me the same thing the other day," Theresa admitted. "He said he won't force me to take the stand, but he'd like me around for the verdict."

"So?"

"I'm thinking about it," Theresa smiled.

"Good," Roman smiled.

"Speaking of trials, how's Arianna? This must be so confusing for her."

"It's not easy," Roman shook his head. "We're all trying to be there for her."

"And Gabi? This must be a nightmare for her."

"She lets us visit her which is more than Joey does," Roman shook his head.

"At least Joey writes to us," Theresa pointed out.

"I know, but Kay and Steve miss their kid. He keeps making their visits shorter."

"Why don't you call them and get them over here? They can have dinner with Steph in the pub while I eat upstairs with Grandma."

"Good idea," Roman nodded as he got up. "I'll bring burgers up for you guys."

"Thanks, Uncle Roman," Theresa smiled.

-d-d-d-d-

"Hey, how was the visit?" Shawn asked as Theresa entered the kitchen on Monday morning.

"It was good," Theresa nodded. "Seeing Grandma and having her meet the girls was nice. I got some great pictures. My phone's upstairs charging. It was almost dead when we got home."

"You got in later than I thought you would."

"I arranged for Steph to eat dinner with her folks while I ate with Grandma," Theresa sat down across from him.

"She say how Abby was?"

"She didn't say a whole lot about anything," Theresa shook her head. "I chalked it up to her being tired, but thinking about it, I'm wondering if Abby's relapsing."

Shawn sighed and put down his newspaper, "You're not alone in wondering that."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I had that thought when she got on the stand and accused Gabi of murder."

"I had it yesterday when she defended her new brother-in-law," Stephanie entered the kitchen and made a beeline for the coffee.

"She defended him?" Shawn asked.

"She said he wasn't as bad as we all thought, and we should give him a chance."

"Did you call Chad?" Theresa asked.

"He's as confused as we are," Stephanie sat down at the table.

"Did you meet the latest child to pop up?" Shawn asked.

"Briefly," Stephanie shook her head. "I'll say this for Stefano and Vivian; they produced one good looking kid. He's also got good taste in women."

Theresa and Shawn looked at Stephanie in confusion before their faces cleared.

"Oh, don't tell me," Shawn put his head on the table.

"He's got a thing for Abby?" Theresa finished the thought.

"Yep," Stephanie nodded.

"Okay, now it's official. He's a DiMera," Theresa shook her head. "He's got his obsession all picked out, and he's staying with your bloodline, Shawn."

"How so?" Shawn lifted his head.

"Well, it's not the same bloodline, but one of Stefano's daughters had a thing for your dad," Theresa revealed.

"I've heard this story," Stephanie nodded.

"Megan Hathaway, right?" Shawn remembered the name from stories he wasn't supposed to know about.

"Then Stefano used Hope to recreate Princess Gina," Stephanie rolled her eyes.

"Don't forget, Vivian's always wanted Victor," Theresa pointed out.

"That's another part of my bloodline," Shawn nodded.

"I'm getting a headache," Stephanie rubbed at her temples.

"You, too?" Theresa smirked.

-d-d-d-d-

Leave a message and let me know if you think Brady should use the fact that while she was suffering from DID, Kim was a prostitute in Europe.


	11. Chapter 11

Shawn was reading in the living room when he heard Theresa's voice.

"That miserable snake! I am going to snap his spine in two!"

Just as he got up to check on her, he heard Stephanie's voice.

"That bastard! I'm going to rip out his heart!"

Shawn waited another moment. When he heard no more angry declarations, he called out, "Living room."

Both girls entered from opposite ends of the house vibrating with anger.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you know what Brady plans to do?" Theresa asked.

"Do you know what John already did?" Stephanie asked.

"Okay, both of you, take a deep breath," Shawn instructed and waited until both women did so. "Now, one at a time, what is going on?"

"Well-" Theresa started.

"He-" Stephanie said at the same time.

"Stop," Shawn said, "Theresa, you first. What's Brady up to?"

"He plans on using my mother's past against her in the custody suit."

"Her past?" Shawn frowned.

"Yeah," Theresa shook her head. "You know what Grandpa's brother did to my mom when she was little, right?"

"The barest of details," Stephanie nodded.

"You know what that caused?"

"D.I.D.," Shawn remembered.

"And while she was suffering from that, she was a member of the oldest profession," Theresa flopped into a chair, hunching forward and burying her fingers in her hair.

"I don't believe him," Shawn said.

"Believe it," Theresa lifted her head. "I need to go home."

"Why?" Stephanie eyed her.

"Because the other part of his argument is that my mother can't raise well-adjusted children who are able to hold down jobs."

"So you're going back to prove him wrong?" Shawn asked.

"I'm going to hand my employment records to Justin. Dad's working on getting Drew's," Theresa revealed. "Are you two alright to watch the girls? I don't want to run the risk of Brady barging into Grandma's or my parents' homes and seeing them."

"We may need to call in reinforcements," Stephanie said. "Shawn can't stay with them alone. I'm heading for Salem, too."

"Right. Your turn, Steph," Shawn sat down.

"Yeah, what did John do?"

"John is the reason Dad's blind," Stephanie shook her head.

"Say again?" Shawn raised an eyebrow.

"The head of the ISA-"

"Pamela Van Damme," Theresa filled in.

"Right," Stephanie nodded. "She wanted my dad dead because she put her career on the line to cover up for my brother."

"Once Joey confessed…" Theresa nodded.

"Pamela looked like a fool," Shawn continued.

"She said she wasn't going to go down for my dad, so she ordered John to kill him."

"Only John wouldn't," Shawn guessed.

"So he poisoned your dad to buy time?" Theresa asked.

"Exactly," Stephanie nodded.

"But he blinded him in the process," Shawn nodded. "Damn."

"So I'm going to Salem too," Stephanie said.

"To see your dad," Theresa nodded.

"And to kill John Black," Stephanie nodded.

"Steph," Shawn gave her a look.

"You can't kill him," Theresa said.

"Why not?"

"For one, it would kill your parents," Theresa said.

"For another, you're not James Bond. You don't have a license to kill," Shawn pointed out.

"Fine, I won't kill him. Can I maim him?"

Theresa and Shawn exchanged a look and then shrugged at Stephanie, "We'll talk."

-d-d-d-d-d-

"I'm going with you," Shawn announced from the doorway of Theresa's room.

Theresa turned around, "Shawn, someone has to stay here. I can't bring the girls with me."

"I know. I have a back-up plan," Shawn said.

"I'm listening," Theresa said.

"I called Max," Shawn sat down on Theresa's bed. "He and Chelsea agreed to take care of the girls for as long as we need. Cassie is coming in as back-up."

"You did this without asking me?"

"If I had, would you have agreed?"

"I would've liked to have spoken to them first to make sure you didn't guilt them into this," Theresa frowned.

"I'm offended. I have never guilted anyone into anything."

"Liar!" Theresa giggled. "When do they get here?"

Hello? Anyone home?

Theresa looked at her cousin, "You're kidding."

"I called them right after you and Steph had your meltdowns," Shawn admitted.

Theresa shook her head and went for the door, "Come on."

Shawn followed his cousin down the stairs.

"You called, we came," Chelsea smiled at her brother and hugged him.

"I can't believe Brady's doing this," Max hugged Theresa.

"I can't believe John did this," Cassie gave Stephanie a hug.

"Thanks for coming," Shawn smiled.

"No problem," Max gave Shawn a handshake. "When do you guys leave?"

"In the morning," Shawn nodded. "I just want to give the bikes one last look before we get on the road."

"I'll join you," Max put his bag down.

"We'll figure out dinner and then decide on sleeping arrangements," Theresa said.

"I have to finish packing," Stephanie turned to go back upstairs.

"I'll come with you," Cassie followed her.

"And then there were two," Chelsea looked to Theresa.

"Coffee, tea, soda, water," Theresa offered.

"Are we going to be talking about Brady?"

"He might come up," Theresa nodded.

"Whiskey," Chelsea said.

Theresa pointed towards the living room and followed Chelsea.

"Tell me," Chelsea said as they sat down with glasses.

"Well, Brady has decided my mom's past is a reason she shouldn't raise Tate."

"Ok, cousin or not, I'm ripping out his intestines," Chelsea decided.

"Thanks, Chelse," Theresa smiled. "You don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do. Do you remember when we first found out who my birth parents were? You and Aunt Kim called and kept me on the phone for over an hour just to find out all there was to know about me," Chelsea smiled. "Brady barely acknowledges my existence."

"Lucky you," Theresa smirked.

"What are you going to do when you get back to Salem?"

"First, I'm giving Justin my employment records. Dad's getting Drew's," Theresa nodded. "Then, I think I'm going to remind Eve that her after school job wasn't exactly selling malts down at the soda shop."

"Do me a favor and record that conversation?" Chelsea giggled.

"Will do," Theresa smirked.

-d-d-d-d-d-

"Call us when you get to Salem," Cassie hugged them all. Chelsea and Max were still asleep. Their jet lag was more pronounced than Cassie's.

"We will," Shawn promised.

"Give Grandma my love and tell my dad 'hi' for me."

"You got it, Cass," Theresa smiled.

"And tell everyone I'll be home soon," Cassie gave one last instruction.

"Noted," Stephanie nodded.

"Go," Cassie ordered.

"Gone," Shawn ushered the girls out and waved to Cassie one last time before shutting the door.

"Where do you guys want to meet up?" Theresa asked.

"How about that diner, what's it called? Barney's?" Stephanie suggested.

"Yes," Shawn nodded. "It's right after a gas station."

"Sold. First one there, order a round of coffees," Theresa put on her helmet. "Drive safe guys."

"You too," Stephanie smiled.

"See you all there," Shawn nodded.

-d-d-d-d-

"There she is," Shawn spotted Theresa coming in the door. "Reesie, over here."

Theresa smiled when her eyes landed on them and walked over. She slid in next to Stephanie and took a sip of coffee, "Damn that's good."

"What took you so long?" Stephanie asked.

"I got stuck behind every truck on the road today," Theresa shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'll figure out what I want quickly, I promise."

Stephanie handed her a menu, "Don't worry. We're not in a hurry."

"But we are hungry," Shawn added.

Theresa giggled and when she heard a faint beep, she pulled her phone from her pocket, "I almost forgot. I felt it vibrate when I stopped for gas, but I didn't check it."

"Who called?"

"My mom," Theresa frowned, "Four times in the last hour."

Stephanie and Shawn exchanged a look and then pulled out their phones.

"My mom called, too," Stephanie nodded.

"My mom, Chelsea, and Cassie have called," Shawn said.

The cousins exchanged a look and then they all dialed.

"Mom, it's me," Theresa said.

"What's going on?" Stephanie asked.

"What do you mean Eric's in the hospital?" Shawn asked.

"Jen found him unconscious in the park?" Theresa put her hand to her forehead.

"How bad is it?" Stephanie bit her lip.

"Any ideas on who did this?" Shawn asked.

"I'm on my way. I'll be there soon," Theresa said.

"Yes, I promise I'll be careful," Stephanie smiled despite the news.

"I love you, too," Shawn told his mom.

Theresa took money from her pocket and put it on the table, "Call your sister, Shawn. If I'm right they're heading to Salem with my girls. If they're driving, the keys to my car are in my purse on my desk in my room. If they're taking a train, tell them to let us know when they're getting in. Someone will be there to pick them up."

Shawn was dialing as he followed the girls out of the diner.

 _"Shawn?"_

"Hey, Chelsea," Shawn greeted. "Who called you guys?"

 _"Uncle Roman called Cassie. What about you?"_

"Our mothers," Shawn told her. "Are you guys heading for Salem?"

 _"We're looking for a train schedule,"_ Chelsea told him.

"Try the drawer next to the oven in the kitchen," Shawn told her.

 _"Okay,"_ Chelsea did. _"Success! You're brilliant."_

"Call when you get close to Salem. We'll send someone to meet you guys."

 _"Okay. Hey Shawn? I love you,"_ Chelsea said.

"I love you, too," Shawn smiled. "See you soon."

 _"Bye."_

Shawn hung up and looked over at Stephanie and Theresa, "You two alright to drive?"

"We'll be fine," Theresa nodded.

"Slow and steady, guys. You won't do anyone any good if you end up in the hospital, too," Shawn reminded them.

Stephanie and Theresa both smirked and then hugged Shawn at the same time. Then they parted and climbed onto their bikes, put on their helmets before they got back on the road, heading for Salem.

-d-d-d-d-

There is a reason I'm doing this. I promise


	12. Chapter 12

Kayla Johnson looked up from her chart when she heard the elevator chime. The doors opened and a smile crossed her face when her daughter, niece, and nephew emerged.

"Stephanie," she smiled.

Stephanie looked up and eagerly went into her mom's arms, "How is he?"

"They just took him into surgery."

"Surgery," Theresa was the next to hug her, "How serious is it?"

"There's some internal bleeding. Your parents are in the waiting room," Kayla said.

"My mom?" Shawn asked as he took his turn hugged his aunt, Kayla.

"At the Park trying to find some answers," Kayla smiled.

"Where's Dad?" Stephanie asked.

"With Kim and Shane," Kayla pointed.

"I'll be right behind you guys," Shawn said to Theresa and Stephanie. "I need to find a bathroom."

The girls nodded and walked down the hall, led by Kayla, while Shawn took his phone out and dialed.

" _Hello?"_

"Grandpa? It's Shawn," he spoke when Victor picked up.

" _It's good to hear from you,"_ Victor said carefully.

"You're not alone," Shawn surmised from the tone of his voice. "Alright, I'll make this short. I'm in Salem, and I'm not alone. Theresa and Stephanie are with me."

" _I see. Where are you?"_

"We're at the Hospital. Did anyone get a call about Eric?"

" _No,"_ Victor told him, _"What happened?"_

"Someone decided to take out their aggressions on Eric's body. He's in surgery right now. I'm calling to let you know Theresa will be visiting Justin at some point with her employment records."

" _Alright, I'll tell Maggie the news. Thank you for calling,"_ Victor said.

"No problem," Shawn told him. "Bye, Grandpa."

" _Goodbye,"_ Victor responded and then they hung up.

Shawn headed to the waiting room and after greeting his family, which included a nearly comatose Jennifer Devereaux, he took a seat next to Theresa.

When she leaned against him, he took the opportunity to whisper in her ear, "Maggie will be here soon."

Theresa nodded and simply said, "Let her come. I have the right to be here."

Shawn nodded.

He wasn't sure how long they'd been sitting there, but he looked up when Maggie entered the room. The older woman went right to Jennifer.

"Jennifer, sweetheart, are you alright?" Maggie asked.

"I'm fine, Aunt Maggie. Just worried," the blonde nodded after a moment.

Maggie kissed the top of her head and then looked around the room, her eyes finally landing on the woman sitting with Shawn.

"You," she said lowly.

Theresa looked up when Shawn stiffened. She met Maggie's eyes and didn't blink.

"What are you doing here?"

"Eric's my family," Theresa said.

"You're here for Eric?" Maggie's voice was getting louder. "You leave your son and your fiancé, but you show up for Eric?"

"Actually, Maggie, I was on my way back when I got the call about Eric. I was coming to hand my employment records to Justin," Theresa said calmly.

"Employment records?"

"Yes," Theresa nodded. "I've been gainfully employed for a little over a year."

"Dealing drugs doesn't count," Maggie hissed.

"Then it's a good thing I don't do that," Theresa's hand fisted.

"Aunt Maggie, I think that's enough," Shawn said.

"No, it's not. Did you even think about offering your help to Brady?"

"Offering my help to a man who can't stay on the wagon for more than six months at a time and who waited about ten minutes before jumping on the first warm body that offered itself? The man who was willing to break the law for a woman who ended up leaving him," Theresa was trying to keep herself calm but it wasn't easy, "To a man who thought seducing my sister to get control of a _company_ was a good idea? You're right, Maggie. Why wouldn't I want Tate raised by him?"

"You vindictive little snake," Maggie exploded. "The only reason he went anywhere near Nicole or your sister is because you left him and your son to go off and party. Now you're back to what? Put another nail in his heart?"

"That's enough, Aunt Maggie," another voice said from the doorway.

Theresa looked beyond Maggie to see JJ behind her. He was different than the last time she'd seen him. She couldn't really put her finger on why until his eyes met hers. The look in them was different.

"JJ, this doesn't concern you," Maggie said.

"Yes, it does. Mom doesn't need this right now," JJ sat down with his mother.

"Neither do Marlena and Roman, Aunt Maggie. You're making a scene," Shawn stood to back up his cousin, "No matter what Theresa's done, she's Eric's family and has the right to be here. You want to support Jennifer, that's fine, but you're done attacking Theresa."

"Shawn, in case you've forgotten, Brady is also your cousin," Maggie tried to sway Shawn's support.

"And in case you've forgotten, he's also Eric's stepbrother. Where is he?" Shawn countered.

Maggie didn't have an answer. She shot one more scathing look at Theresa before she sat down with Jennifer.

-d-d-d-d-

Theresa studied her cousin as they waited for Chelsea, Max, and Cassie to emerge from the train with Mena and Sophie.

"Stop staring," Stephanie said.

"Then tell me what's on your mind," Theresa shot back.

"I just keep thinking about the last conversation I had with Eric. I teased him a little bit after he told me about him and Aunt Jen," Stephanie confessed.

"What did you say?"

"I said if they got frisky-"

"Frisky?" Theresa raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. It was the only word I could think of that didn't make me want to gag."

"Okay. Frisky, it is," Theresa nodded.

"Thank you," Stephanie nodded back. "I said if they got frisky, he had to promise he'd say 'Why, Mrs. Devereaux, are you trying to seduce me?'"

"You didn't," Theresa giggled and shook her head.

"I did," Stephanie admitted.

"Was he mad?" Theresa asked.

"No, he actually laughed about it," Stephanie admitted.

"Good," Theresa nodded.

After a moment or two of silence, Stephanie looked at Theresa, "Are you okay?"

"Sure, why?"

"That was quite the scene Maggie made when she saw you at the hospital."

"Yeah, it was. I wonder how long I have before Brady shows up on Grandma's doorstep," Theresa frowned. "Uncle Roman doesn't need the extra commotion right now."

"Speaking of doorsteps, do we know which one we're dropping Max, Chelsea, and Cassie off on?"

"Cassie's going to stay with her mother," Theresa rolled her eyes. Kate was never going to be one of her favorite people, "And Julie offered the old Olsen home to Shawn, Max, Chelsea, me, and the girls."

"Does Julie know about the girls?"

"She and Doug have no loyalty to Brady, so we can trust them," Theresa said, "At least that's what Shawn told me."

"What about Julie's loyalty to Maggie?"

Theresa shook her head, "I don't know, but I trust Shawn, so…"

"You'll trust Julie and Doug to keep their mouths shut," Stephanie finished for her.

"Yes," Theresa nodded before she looked out of the windshield, "They're here."

Stephanie followed her cousin's eyes and then got out of the car with her.

"How's Eric?" Cassie asked after Theresa had taken Sophie from her.

"He made it through surgery okay," Theresa nodded. "They're optimistic. I'll bet your dad would like to see you."

"Is he at the hospital?"

"Yeah," Stephanie nodded. "I'll take you."

"I'd like to see Mom," Max said.

"Grandma's at home. We haven't told her anything," Stephanie said.

"Can you take a cab?" Chelsea asked. "I'd like to go to the cemetery."

"Steph and I took different cars. I borrowed Mom's, and she borrowed Aunt Kay's," Theresa said. "I'll go to the cemetery with you. I haven't visited Grandpa in a while. It's about time he met his great granddaughters."

"Thanks, Reesie," Chelsea smiled and took Mena from Max, "I'll see you in a little while."

"If you want-"

"Go see your mom," Chelsea smiled. "Let her know I'll be around later."

"I'll take care of her, Max," Theresa promised.

"Thanks, Reesie," Max smiled.

-d-d-d-d-

"I'll wait for you," Theresa told Chelsea, "Take your time."

"Thanks," Chelsea wandered over to her father's grave while Theresa settled the girls' carriers on the ground and knelt down in front of her grandfather's grave.

"Hey, Grandpa," Theresa smiled. "I know it's been a while. I think the last time was when I brought Tate to meet you. Today, I brought your great-granddaughters."

She touched each carrier in turn, "This is Philomena Loretta, and this is Sophie Antonia. Uncle Roman says he can see Isabella peeking through. Shawn says it, too. He even got his hands on a picture of her for me so the girls would know who they looked like.

"I know you wouldn't approve of them not knowing Brady, but I like to think you'd be okay with them not being in Victor's house, even though you two were friends once upon a time. I know he's not the evil man I always thought he was, but Brady's proven he's not the person I thought he was either."

Theresa smiled, "I wish they could know you. We'll tell them stories and teach them toasts, but it won't be the same as having you here. Nothing will ever come close to hearing your brogue as you tell a story. I promise we'll get to Ireland one day, so they'll know what _a_ brogue sounds like, even if it's not yours."

She sighed, "I guess what all this is leading to, is I really miss you, and I am so afraid one day very soon, I'm going to have to miss Grandma, too. The only thing that makes it bearable is knowing you'll be there waiting for her."

"Theresa?"

Theresa turned her head as she wiped her eyes, "Be right there, Chelsea."

"I'll be at the car," her cousin said.

Theresa got to her feet and ran her hand over the stone gently, "I'll come back before I leave town. I love you. I miss you."

-d-d-d-d-d-

Theresa poked her head into Eric's room and was surprised to see he was alone. Glad, but surprised.

She let the door shut behind her as she sat down at his side.

"Hey," she said softly, "If you wanted me to come see you, all you had to do was ask. I would've been more than happy to sneak in and out of town. Landing yourself in the hospital was not necessary, Eric."

She put her hand over his and bowed her head, "The girls are with me. I know you miss them, and I am positive they miss you. I remember the week Mena refused to sleep at all. Sophie and I were exhausted to the point where I had to have her sleep in the room across the walkway, and I was walking into walls. I finally managed to fall asleep and stay asleep for a few hours. When I woke, I didn't hear Mena, so I ran into the nursery in a panic. There you two were in the rocking chair, blissfully asleep. I knew then, no matter what your own doubts were, you'd make a good dad one day. In order to get the chance, you need to stop this unconscious crap and wake up."

After a few moments she heard the door open behind her, "Theresa?"

"Hi, Jennifer," Theresa lifted her head and stood to face the blonde, "I was just telling Eric he needed to wake up and stop freaking everyone out."

"Here's hoping he listens," Jennifer stepped around Theresa to look at Eric.

"If you want to go home and sleep, I can stay," Theresa offered, turning around.

"No, I can't," Jennifer shook her head, "Leaving him wouldn't feel right."

"I know," Theresa nodded and looked towards Eric.

Jennifer looked up at the other woman, "He told me, you know."

"I know," Theresa nodded, "He trusts you, so I will, too. I've been getting a lot of experience in that area."

Jennifer smiled at the brunette, "Since I know they exist, can I see a picture?"

"Uh, sure," Theresa fished her phone out of her purse and found a recent photo of her girls to show Jennifer, "That was last week."

"Oh, wow, they are adorable. That hair is-"

"Isabella," Theresa nodded. "I know. My grandmother's eyes and their grandmother's hair."

"He told me why you're not telling Brady," Jennifer handed her phone back. "I agree with you."

"You do?" Theresa was surprised.

"He's not the same person he was," Jennifer shook her head. "That's why when Justin asked me to sit on Brady's side in the case against your parents, I declined."

"Thank you," Theresa nodded before she checked her watch, "It's getting late."

"Go on," Jennifer nodded as she sat down at Eric's side. "See you soon."

"Goodnight," Theresa slipped quietly from the room. She dialed Shawn as she walked down the hall.

" _Hey,"_ he answered. _"Where are you?"_

"I'm just leaving the hospital. I came back to check on Eric. I talked to Jennifer."

" _How'd that go?"_

"Okay," Theresa admitted. "We didn't attack each other. Look, I'm calling for two reasons."

" _I'm listening,"_ Shawn said.

"First, how are the girls?"

" _Fast asleep,"_ Shawn assured her.

"Second, I want to make sure someone's around to let me in as I don't have keys yet."

" _I'm in the living room. I'll wait up for you."_

"Thanks, Shawn," Theresa smiled.

" _Drive safe,"_ Shawn instructed.

"I will. See you soon."

" _Bye."_

Theresa disconnected and slipped her phone into her bag. She found the elevator and pressed the button before leaning against the wall to wait. Once it chimed she straightened up to prepare to get on. Before she could though, someone came out.

"Aunt Hope, hi," Theresa was surprised.

"You're here, good," Hope nodded.

"I am, yes," Theresa nodded. "Jennifer's in Eric's room."

"I was looking for you," Hope explained.

"Is everything okay?"

"No," Hope shook her head. "Do you have a minute?"

"Sure," Theresa nodded as Hope led her to a secluded spot of the floor, "You're starting to freak me out. What's going on?"

Hope held up an evidence bag and gave it to Theresa, "Do you recognize that?"

Theresa brought the object eye level and nodded, "Yeah, it's a cufflink. Shawn has ones just like it."

"So did Bo," Hope nodded.

"Right," Theresa said. "It's a family tradition. Victor gives them out on their eighteenth birthday."

"Their initials are on the back," Hope said quietly.

Something deep inside of Theresa went very still and she flipped the object over. Her worst fears were confirmed when she saw the initials B.V.B. on the back.

"Hope, where did you get this?"

"It was snagged on the shirt Eric was wearing when he was attacked."

-d-d-d-d-d-

Can I get a reply?


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry this took so long. My editor had eye surgery

=d=d=d=d=

Theresa's hand shook as it returned the evidence to Hope.

"Theresa?" Hope looked worried.

"Shawn's waiting up for me because I don't have keys to the house. I should go. I'm sure he's probably tired," Theresa said in a voice that didn't sound like her.

"You're not driving. I'll take you home," Hope watched her niece fish out car keys with a shaky hand.

"There's no need. I'm fine," Theresa shook her head.

"You're a bad liar," Hope took the keys. "C'mon, Honey."

Theresa let herself be lead into the elevator and to her aunt's car. She buckled herself in and leaned back against her seat as Hope drove. Her brain was spinning with what Hope's revelation would mean for her children.

When they reached their destination, they both got out of the car. Theresa knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer.

"What took so long?" Shawn greeted her before looking beyond her, "Mom? What's going on?"

"Shawn, there's something you need to know," Hope followed Theresa into the house. The younger woman hadn't said a word since trying unsuccessfully to convince Hope she was okay to drive herself home.

"Reesie?" Shawn watched his cousin sit down in a chair and curl herself into a ball.

"Let's talk in the hall," Hope suggested.

Shawn followed his mother where she explained what was going on.

"Oh my God," Shawn breathed once Hope had explained. "Have you talked to him?"

"Not yet," Hope shook her head. "We're working on getting a warrant to bring him in for questioning. The judge isn't all that happy with us waking him up so late in the evening. Brady didn't show up at the hospital?"

"No, but I'm sure Aunt Maggie told him Theresa is in town. I'll give Uncle Roman a call. Maybe he'll show up at the pub looking for her."

Hope nodded and then peered into the living room. Theresa hadn't moved, "Will you be okay with her? Should I call Shane and Kim?"

"We'll be okay, Mom. Thanks," Shawn nodded.

"If you need anything," Hope started.

"I'll call," he promised.

Hope smiled at her son.

"What?"

"Just thinking about how much you look like your father sometimes," Hope said.

"I miss him, too," Shawn nodded and gave his mother a hug.

"I know," Hope nodded. "I better go. I'll check in."

"So will I," Shawn said.

Hope left and Shawn locked the door behind her before going into the living room. He took a seat in the chair next to Theresa and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him sadly, "Shawn?"

"I'm here."

"If he did this..." Theresa shook her head, unable to continue.

"If he did this, a custody fight is going to be the least of his worries," Shawn finished.

-d-d-d-d-

Maggie opened the door and drew up in surprise, "Hope?"

Rafe looked at his wife before speaking to Maggie, "We have a search warrant for the premises."

"I beg your pardon," Maggie sputtered as Rafe gave her the freshly signed document while officers entered the house. She looked at the paper and then at Hope, "Explain this."

"There's evidence pointing to Brady being responsible for Eric's attack," Hope said quietly. "We need to bring him in for questioning."

"Maggie, what is going on?" Victor came down the stairs upon hearing the commotion. "Hope?"

"They think Brady was responsible for the attack on Eric," Maggie handed him the search warrant.

"What? Why?" Victor read the warrant. "What kind of evidence do you have?"

"Brady's cufflink was snagged on Eric's shirt," Hope said.

"What cufflink?" Maggie asked.

"The ones Victor gave him. It had his initials on the back," Hope explained. "Is he here?"

"I don't think so," Maggie shook her head. "I haven't seen him since I told him-"

"Theresa was back in town," Hope guessed. "If he goes near her, he's going to go through a wall. You might want to warn him."

"You should also tell him the investigation will be easier for him if he voluntarily comes in for questioning," Rafe rejoined them holding an evidence bag with a cufflink matching the one they already had. "There was only one in his room."

"My God," Maggie retreated into the living room.

Hope looked at Victor, "No matter who I'm married to, you're still my children's grandfather, and Brady is still Bo's nephew. Rafe's right. It'll be easier on Brady if he comes in voluntarily for questioning. You might want to call Justin."

"Yes," Victor agreed before he went into the living room.

"Are you alright?" Rafe asked his wife.

"I have to tell John his son is wanted for questioning in the assault of his step-son, someone he raised as his own for a good part of his life," Hope shook her head, "No, I am not alright."

"I'll tell John," Rafe said.

"Rafe," Hope shook her head.

"Check on Theresa, Shawn, Chelsea, and Max. They're probably up by now," Rafe checked his watch.

"Yeah," Hope nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'll call you if Brady surfaces."

"He'll surface," Hope said, "If only to find out which side Theresa is on."

"Do you think she's called her parents?"

"I haven't gotten a call yet, so no," Hope shook her head as they walked back outside to the cars.

"I'll catch a ride back to the station with one of the uniforms," Rafe gave her a quick kiss.

"Bye," Hope smiled softly as she watched him go.

-d-d-d-d-

Theresa pushed open the door to the study belonging to Ben Olson. It didn't look like anyone had touched the room in years, except maybe for the occasional cleaning.

She moved to sit behind the desk and breathed deeply as she sank into the chair.

Just as she turned to look at the pictures, the door opened and Shawn poked his head in.

"There you are," he smiled. "Chelsea said you went wandering."

"Yeah," she looked around. "I don't think this room has changed since your grandma moved out."

"Nothing in this entire house has changed," Shawn came in further and sat in one of the wingchairs in front of the desk, "I've seen pictures in old albums at Gran's."

Theresa nodded, tipping her head back, "Did you sleep?"

"A little," Shawn wiped at his tired eyes. "You?"

"I'm not sure honestly," Theresa said. "I closed my eyes, but I'm not sure I actually slept."

"I talked to Uncle Roman," Shawn confessed.

"When did Brady show up?" Theresa rolled her eyes.

"He was waiting in the pub when Roman got home," Shawn told her, "Refused to leave unless he told him where you were."

"I hope Uncle Roman called the police," Theresa shook her head.

"No, he just tossed him out," Shawn said, "Told him it was none of his business and said if he ever came by again, he'd be meeting the business end of Grandpa's shotgun."

Theresa grinned, "Did Grandpa have a shotgun?"

"Great Grandpa," Shawn clarified.

"Sounds good to me," Theresa swiveled in the chair a bit to look at the wall. She tilted her head as she studied the bookcase. "They're uneven."

"What?" Shawn looked at her.

"The shelves are uneven," she walked over and ran her hand along one of the shelves, ignoring the dust covering her fingers.

"So?"

"Look around you, Shawn," Theresa motioned. "Everything is perfectly even except for these shelves."

"They're warped," Shawn shrugged.

Theresa studied the books on the shelf and found one that was less worn than the others. It reminded her of the shelves in their home and Casino Royale.

"What did Ben do for a living?"

"Banker, I think. Why?" Shawn got up and stood behind his cousin.

"Any interest in history?"

"I have no idea. Again, why?" Shawn frowned.

"Just curious as to what he's doing with a copy of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany among his many financial studies," Theresa gently pulled on the book and stepped back as the shelves swung out.

"No way," Shawn muttered.

Theresa squinted into the dark, "It's a staircase."

"We need flashlights," Shawn said.

 _Hello?_

"We'll get them later," Theresa pushed the shelves back into place when she heard Hope's voice and darted for the chair she'd been sitting in while Shawn did the same. Once they were settled, she nodded at Shawn.

"In here, Mom," Shawn called.

Hope appeared in the doorway and smiled, "Hi. Max let me in. He says breakfast is almost ready."

"Good. I'm actually hungry," Theresa got up. "How are you?"

"Tired. I was up all night waiting for that cranky judge to sign off on a search warrant. He's getting more stubborn in his old age."

"And?" Shawn asked as they walked towards the kitchen.

"We found the mate to the cufflink found on Eric," Hope said quietly.

"Brady was at the pub last night," Shawn said. "Uncle Roman threw him out."

"Maggie told him you were in town," Hope said to Theresa.

"I figured," Theresa took a seat at the table. "I'll be easy to find. I'm going to the mansion today to see Justin."

"Let me go," Shawn said. "Maggie's less likely to slap me."

"But Brady's more likely to slug you," Theresa pointed out.

"Why don't I go?" Max suggested.

"Max, that's sweet, but I have to face the fire sooner or later," Theresa said.

"Not alone," Chelsea said. "It's been a while since I've seen Victor. I'll go with you. If Maggie says anything, I'll tell the old bat to shove it."

"Chelsea!" Hope looked at her stepdaughter.

"I'll be a little more diplomatic," Chelsea promised.

"Good," Hope still looked worried.

-d-d-d-d-

"No," Chelsea shook her head.

"Why not?"

"Because Victor and Maggie are not Richard and Emily, and I doubt they go through maids the way they did," Chelsea told her cousin.

Theresa frowned, "Just say the one line."

"Oh fine," Chelsea sighed before she whispered, "Maids go in, but they never come out."

"Okay, ring the bell."

"You are so crazy," Chelsea giggled as she pressed the bell. "It'll be fine."

"I know," Theresa nodded. "Is it too much to hope that-"

"Can I help you?"

"Hi, Maggie. I was hoping to see Justin," Theresa painted a smile on her face.

"And I wanted to say 'hi' to Victor," Chelsea smiled.

"They're in the living room," Maggie said after a moment, letting them in.

"Thank you," Chelsea let Theresa go in front of her as they walked past Maggie.

"Hello, Victor," Theresa greeted the older man. "Justin, I have something for you."

"Hi, Grandpa," Chelsea hugged Victor as Theresa handed Justin a folder.

"I'm assuming these are your employment records. I got Drew's yesterday," Justin opened the folder and nodded, "Forensics tech for the ISA. You really are Shane's daughter."

"Yes, I am," Theresa smiled proudly. "How are you, Justin? I heard you and Adrienne reconciled. I'm glad for you both."

"Thank you," Justin's dimples flashed. "How long will you be in town?"

"My original plan was just to give you those and have a little talk with my sister, but this thing with Eric kind of threw those plans out the window."

Justin nodded, "I understand. Thank you for these."

"Of course. Do you know where Eve's living? I know she was living here but moved out. Did she find an apartment?"

"She's living at the Salem Inn," Justin told her and then drew a bit closer to speak softly, "I want you to know I'm trying to talk Brady out of bringing up Kim's past."

"Thank you, Justin. I'm going to do the same with Eve by reminding her of her own former profession," Theresa nodded. "I should go. I want to find Eve before-"

"Granddad? I'm back," Brady announced.

"Here we go," Theresa sighed, turning around just as Brady walked into the room.

"Brady, before you say anything," Victor started.

"Who let you in?" Brady glared at Theresa.

"Maggie. I had business with Justin. It's been concluded, so I'll be leaving. I need a word with Eve. Chelsea, are you coming?"

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," Chelsea studied the look on Brady's face.

"Do you know what your parents are trying to do?"

"Yes, I'm aware," Theresa turned back around to look at him. "I came to give my employment records to Justin. I'm sure he'll be glad to share them with you."

"Employment records? I doubt being employed as a stripper is going to impress the judge."

"First I'm a drug dealer, and now I'm a stripper," Theresa nodded. "Am I going up or down? Chelsea, what do you think?"

"Stripping is legal, so I guess up?"

"Good point," Theresa agreed. "Anyway, Brady, as Justin can tell you I'm not a stripper."

"Really? Alright, Justin," Brady turned to his cousin, "What is she doing?"

"She's a forensics lab tech at an ISA facility outside of Chicago," Justin said.

"What?" Brady managed after a moment.

"Any more questions?" Theresa took a moment to enjoy the look of bewilderment on her ex's face.

"The ISA hired you?" Maggie asked.

"I had some very good recommendations," Theresa smiled before looking at Chelsea, "You ready?"

"Oh yes," Chelsea nodded. "Grandpa, again, it's good to see you."

"And you," Victor gave the younger woman a kiss on the cheek. "Theresa."

"Victor," Theresa nodded and followed her cousin out the door.

"You okay?" Chelsea asked as they walked away from the house.

"Peachy, can't you tell?"

"Don't worry," Chelsea got out her phone. "Brady isn't going to be in a position to harass you for a few hours."

" _Hello?"_

"Hope, it's Chelsea. If you're still looking for Brady, he's home," Chelsea told her stepmother. "We just left the mansion."

" _Are you both alright?"_

"Brady accused Theresa of being a stripper, but otherwise we're fine."

" _A stripper?"_

"Yeah, Theresa told him why she was there, and he decided to handle it by being a jerk," Chelsea rolled her eyes.

" _Alright. Thanks for the call, Chelsea. I'll send a squad car to pick him up."_

"No problem," Chelsea assured her. "See you later."

" _Bye."_

Chelsea hung up, "Do you want to see your parents?"

"Yeah, I do. I also have to pick up my bike. I left it at the hospital last night."

"I'll drive you to the hospital and then I'm off to the pub to see Grandma."

"Great. Then we'll meet at home later?"

"Absolutely," Chelsea agreed.

"Let's go," Theresa nodded.

As they drove away, a squad car pulled up and two uniforms got out to approach the door.

"That was quick," Chelsea noted as the uniformed officers entered the residence. The pair didn't feel the need to stick around and watch Brady get arrested.

=d=d=d=d=d=

"Coming," Eve stepped out of the bathroom and walked towards the door to answer the knocking. She pulled open the door and came face to face with her sister, "Theresa?"

"Hi, Sis," Theresa gave Eve a sarcastic smile. "We need to talk."


	14. Chapter 14

Theresa looked around the hotel room after she'd walked past Eve, leaving her sister to shut the door and collect herself before they faced one another.

"What are you doing here?" Eve asked finally.

"Really? That's your question?" Theresa shook her head. "Isn't it pretty damn obvious what I'm doing here?"

"If this is about Brady and me-"

"No," Theresa shook her head. "He is all yours. This is about Brady's plan of attack when it comes to my mom."

"Theresa," Eve started.

"Save it," Theresa shook her head. "The only thing you're going to do is talk him out of it."

"I beg your pardon," Eve stared.

"You're going to talk him out of it," Theresa repeated calmly.

"How am I going to do that?"

"Whichever way you want," Theresa shook her head to rid herself of the images forming, "But you're doing it."

"And if I don't?"

"Miss Donovan, we've heard testimony pertaining to your step-mother's former profession. Why don't you tell us about yours?"

"You wouldn't dare," Eve said.

"Miss Donovan, please tell the court about your relationship with Nicholas Corelli," Theresa continued. "Would you like me to continue? I can get Sarah Horton back in Salem to testify about the time you hit her with a car."

"I was a teenager."

"And my mother was sick," Theresa shot back. "If you'd like me to use more current ammunition, I can. Miss Donovan, please tell us about your relationship with your daughter's former boyfriend, JJ Deveraux."

"What do you want?"

"Unless you want the board at Titan and everyone else to be reminded or find out their boss was a teenage hooker, you are going to talk Brady into withdrawing his plan of attack. He can still fight for custody. I doubt he'll win anyway."

"What makes you say that?" Eve eyed her sister as her phone rang.

"You should get that. It's probably Brady."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, Victor, Maggie, and Justin are already at the station with him."

"Station?" Eve looked confused.

"Yeah, like I said, you should get that," Theresa said. "I'll show myself out."

"Why is he at the station?" Eve wouldn't let her leave.

"He's under investigation for Eric's assault."

"What?"

"They found one of his cufflinks on Eric's clothes. Any more questions?"

"That's not possible," Eve shook her head.

"Hey, if you're his alibi, I'd get downtown," Theresa told her before she left the room, shutting the door behind her.

-d-d-d-d-d-

Theresa exited the hardware store at the corner of the square carrying a bag with two new flashlights. She checked her phone as she walked and ended up walking into someone, causing what they were both carrying to fall out of their hands.

Of course the other person was carrying papers.

"God, I am so sorry. My cousin is forever telling me I'm going to end up walking into a wall one of these days," she bent down to scoop up the scattered papers.

"It's fine, Theresa," a familiar voice said.

She looked up and saw Chad DiMera's blue eyes looking back at her, "Hi, Chad. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, I'm fine. Getting knocked into by a beautiful woman is always a good thing," he teased.

"Cute," she smirked while handing him some papers, "I think we've got it all."

"Yeah," Chad handed her the bag she'd been carrying. "This is yours."

"Thanks," she took it as they got up. "It's been a while. How are you?"

"I'm okay," he nodded.

"I live with Stephanie," Theresa said quietly.

"Right," Chad remembered. "Yeah, we're getting better."

"I'm glad. You know the DiMera family still owns a house a few minutes away from where Shawn, Steph, and I live."

"I'll remember that," Chad smiled. "Good to see you, Theresa."

"You, too," Theresa smiled, watching him go, before she turned to walk away and ended up running right into someone else, "I need a sign that says 'Danger to everyone around her'."

"I'm sure it's not the bad," a male voice she didn't recognize said, making her look up. Her eyes met dark brown.

"Sorry about that," she apologized, backing away. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he smiled. "You?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good," he nodded.

"Well, I should be going," Theresa excused herself. This guy gave her a bad feeling.

"My name is Stefan."

Of course, Theresa realized.

"Stefan DiMera," Theresa nodded. "Right. I should have realized. You look like your father."

"Thank you," Stefan nodded. "You are?"

"Leaving," Theresa said again. "Goodbye."

"Did I offend you in a previous life?" he asked before she could make a full escape.

Theresa turned around, "Not me."

"A friend then?"

"Not exactly," Theresa said. "I'm gonna give you a little Salem genealogy lesson, Mr. DiMera."

"Alright," Stefan said.

"First of all, my name is Theresa Donovan. My parents are Kimberly and Shane Donovan. Dad's an ISA agent."

"I see."

"Your sister-in-law, Abby? Her father's name was originally Billy Johnson. His mother gave him and his older brother, Steve, up so their father wouldn't abuse them. Since he was a baby, Billy was adopted and renamed Jack Deveraux."

"Alright," Stefan nodded.

"Abby's father is Dr. Kayla Johnson's brother-in-law. Kayla's maiden name was Brady. She and Steve have two children; Stephanie and Joey. I live with Stephanie. Care to guess what my mother's maiden name was?"

"Brady," Stefan said flatly.

"Right. So, while Abby isn't a blood relative, I consider her family. I think what you did was abhorrent and disgusting. You're not a man. You're a monster."

"Wait a second," Stefan started.

"No," Theresa shook her head. "You knew there was something wrong with her and instead of getting her help, you took advantage of the situation and her. You let an innocent woman go to jail. If there is any justice in this world, you will die friendless and alone while wandering the streets suffering some ancient form of syphilis."

Done with her venting, Theresa turned away, only to have Stefan latch onto her wrist.

"Get your hands off of her!" a voice interrupted before she could say anything.

Stefan was shoved away from Theresa, and JJ Deveraux stood between her and Stefan.

"Theresa, you alright?" JJ didn't take his eyes off of Stefan.

"Yeah, I'm fine, JJ," Theresa said.

"Get lost, DiMera," JJ spat at the older man.

"I deserve a chance to defend myself," Stefan protested.

"Save it for St. Peter," Theresa snarled at him.

"You heard her," JJ said.

Stefan wisely took his leave, andand then JJ turned to Theresa.

"That's twice now you've come to my aid," Theresa smiled. "Thank you seems inadequate."

"But welcome," JJ smiled. "How are you, Theresa?"

"Okay," Theresa shrugged. "I was better before the latest demonic offspring made an appearance."

"Weren't we all?" JJ rolled his eyes. "You making home repairs?"

"What?"

"The hardware store bag," JJ pointed.

"Oh, right. No, it's flashlights. Since we're staying longer than expected, Chelsea and I are going to look in the attic and see if Julie or Addie left any clothes that might fit us."

"Have you been to the hospital yet today?"

"I went to pick up my bike, but I didn't go in. Have you talked to your mom?"

"Yeah," JJ nodded. "Eric's still unconscious."

"Tell your mom know if she wants to go home and sleep, let one of us know. We'll stay with him."

"Marlena and Roman made the same offer. Mom's not budging," JJ shook his head.

"She loves him," Theresa said softly. "I'm glad for them. They both deserve it."

JJ looked at Theresa in surprise.

"I know. Kind words for your mom from me? What can I say? Things change," Theresa smiled. "I love Eric, and I want him happy. If Jennifer can do that for him, then I'm glad for them both."

"And Brady?"

"You know he was brought in for questioning?"

"I do. So?"

Theresa shook her head, "I really can't say I care what Brady does right now. If he did this, I want him to rot."

"You're not alone in having that thought," JJ smirked. "By the way, thank you for whatever you said to put that look on Stefan's face."

"No problem," Theresa shook her head. "How's Abby doing?"

"Not great," JJ shook his head. "She's pregnant."

"Oh God. It's," Theresa made a motion towards where Stefan had gone.

"That's what the DNA results say."

Theresa looked at him, "She had a test done?"

"Yeah," JJ nodded.

"Who did it?"

"Aunt Kayla."

"Did anyone else know about it?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"You ever hear the expression 'You can't cheat an honest man'," Theresa asked.

"Sure," JJ nodded.

"In that same vein, you also can't sneak things past a sneak."

"You think someone knew," JJ surmised.

"JJ, I'm a forensics tech now. Do you think Abby would agree to a retest?"

"I'll talk to her."

"Make sure no one's around when you do," Theresa advised.

"Deal. Your cell number still the same?"

"You still have it?"

"Yeah," JJ admitted.

"Call me when you have an answer from Abby," Theresa smiled as she walked away.

-d-d-d-d-d-

"Theresa?"

"Up here, Chelsea," Theresa called when she heard her cousin's voice calling for her.

Chelsea appeared in the doorway a few moments later, "What are you doing up here?"

"Looking for clothes," Theresa frowned. "I didn't bring a lot, so I checked with Julie who said if I could find things that fit I was welcome to them."

"Want some help?"

"Sure," Theresa opened another box. "This must be Julie's brother's stuff. I can't believe Addie didn't throw it out."

"Why? What is it?"

"Girlie magazines," Theresa frowned.

"Yuck," Chelsea giggled.

Theresa closed the box and slid it away, before she opened another box and smiled, "Pay dirt."

"Clothes?" Chelsea asked without looking up.

"Yep. What are you looking at?" Theresa noticed her cousin's eyes were glued to the box in front of her.

"Old vinyl," Chelsea smiled. "Mom got me hooked on a lot of these bands."

"Cool," Theresa nodded. "Check this out."

Theresa held up a baby blue halter top.

"Alright, Julie," Chelsea nodded.

"You don't think it could've been Addie's?"

"I've seen pictures of Addie Horton Olson pre-Williams. She would never have worn something like that when she was lady of this house. By the time she was Addie Williams, she was a little too old for that."

"Point taken," Theresa said. "There's some pajamas in here. Now these could've been Addie's."

Chelsea looked up to see a pair of green and blue pajama pants with a matching chemise, "Cute."

"You want them?"

"I'm better in boxers and a tank," Chelsea shook her head. "They'd look cute on you though."

"Thanks," Theresa smiled. "That box over there says Julie, too. Why don't you check it out?"

"I will," Chelsea nodded.

"I'm gonna check on the girls. Then I'll start dinner."

"I'll be down in a bit."

"Take your time. It's just meatloaf and a salad," Theresa disappeared down the stairs. Just as she was clear of the stairs and out of earshot, her phone rang. She fished it out of her pocket and answered, "Hello?"

 _"Theresa? It's JJ."  
_  
"Hey. Hang on," she took a quick look around and then slipping into a powder room. She closed the door, turned on the sink, and climbed into the tub, drawing the curtain behind her. "Okay, go ahead."

 _"I talked to Abby. It took some doing, but I talked her into another DNA test. Where are you gonna do it?"  
_  
"ISA has facilities out near the swampy area around St. Mary's Hospital. Do you know where it is?"

 _"Yeah. I know where it is,"_ JJ assured her. _"When?"  
_  
"Tomorrow. I'll call you in the morning. Can Abby get the samples by then?"

 _"Yeah, we'll get them."  
_  
"JJ, be careful. If Stefan fixed the test, then he's not going to let go easily."

 _"I have a pretty good window of time to get in and out."_

"Alright. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Be careful," Theresa advised again and then hung up. She climbed out of the tub, turned off the water, and unlocked the door before opening it and stepping back into the hall. Then she went to check on her daughters.

-d-d-d-d-

Shawn knocked on Theresa's door around eleven and it opened without hesitation.

"Everyone asleep?" she asked.

"I can hear Max snoring," Shawn confirmed.

"Okay," Theresa grabbed the flashlights and handed one to Shawn, "Fresh batteries."

"Good idea," Shawn smiled as the two walked downstairs stealthily.

Theresa waited until Shawn had closed and locked the door before she pulled the book and allowing the bookcase to swing open. Shawn shined a light to illuminate the stairs that went down.

"I'll go first," Shawn's gentlemanly upbringing kicked in.

"Be my guest," Theresa smirked.

Shawn walked into the passage and gingerly stepped down. He didn't hear a creek and shone his flashlight to see the steps were cement.

"It's safe, Reesie," he said.

"Good," she followed him a couple steps behind.

When they got to the bottom, they moved their lights around and found a door.

Theresa tried the knob, "Locked. You got a blade or something?"

"Dad always said to carry your Swiss Army knife," Shawn pulled it from his pocket.

Theresa smiled and shone her light at the doorknob, "Alright, Boy Scout. Go for it."

Shawn smiled and knelt down to work on the lock.

"If you can't get it, maybe there's a key in the desk upstairs," Theresa said.

"No need," Shawn said when the lock popped. "Gift of a misspent youth."

Theresa giggled as Shawn got to his feet, "Who taught you?"

"Dad," Shawn admitted.

"Yeah, he taught me and Steph, too," Theresa smiled.

"Really," Shawn opened the door and they both entered the room.

"Yeah, when he came to visit one year. He taught Drew, too," Theresa illuminated the room and found a desk. "What are the odds the lamp still works?"

"Considering there's about four inches of dust on the desk, I'm gonna go with not good."

"We've got a desk and filing cabinets," Theresa shone her flashlight towards the wall. "They're locked."

Shawn tried the desk drawer and was surprised when it opened. He illumined the contents and nodded, "Our luck holds out."

"Keys?"

Shawn took out a couple of rings and walked over to his cousin, "Let's try these."

Theresa took one and Shawn the other before they tried to unlock separate cabinets. It took them a few tries but they got them all open.

"I've got bank records from the mid forties," Theresa said.

"Makes sense considering Ben was a bank president," Shawn rifled through a few files.

"Shawn, he's got records for your great-grandfather," Theresa pulled a file.

Shawn looked up, "What?"

"Thomas Horton Sr. This must have been his checking account because Alice's name is on it, too," Theresa pointed to the name on the statements. "Wait a second. The Horton house is on Sycamore Street."

"Yeah, I'm aware," Shawn smirked.

"But this says Front Street," Theresa pointed to the address on the statement.

"Which was a bad part of town even back then," Shawn nodded.

"If our grandparents can be believed," Theresa nodded. "Why does Ben Olson, Dr. and Mrs. Horton's son-in-law, have records with their name but not their address?"

"Judging by the dates, he wouldn't have been president then," Shawn theorized. "He would've been just another employee."

"What was in your cabinet?"

"Pictures," Shawn pulled the file he'd put down over to lay in front of him. "A lot of old black and whites, but no one I know."

"I'm not surprised. Look at those clothes. I think that's what they call a zoot suit," Theresa laughed taking a few of the shots and flipping through them. The last one caught her attention. "Shawn, why does this guy look familiar?"

"Which one?"

"Him," Theresa pointed.

Shawn took the photo and looked at the man Theresa indicated, "I don't know. You're right. He does look familiar. It's the-"

"The eyes," Theresa nodded. "He's older than everyone else in the pictures."

"A boss type," Shawn said. "The agency keeps records. Maybe he's in them."

"I have to go to the labs tomorrow morning. I have to do a favor for a friend."

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I think it will be if my hunch is right. I can drop this in face recognition and see if we can get a hit."

"Sounds good. For now, I think we should get some sleep."

"Yeah," Theresa nodded. "Take Max with you when you check out the address tomorrow."

"How did-"

"I know you," Theresa smirked as they headed back upstairs.

-

Was I mean enough to Stefan?


	15. Chapter 15

Theresa stirred her coffee as she waited for JJ and Abigail in a diner a block from St. Mary's hospital. She smiled as the ancient jukebox in the corner changed songs and Aretha's voice filled the air telling the customers she said a little prayer for someone as she went through her normal routine.

Bored, Theresa dug a well worn book out of her bag and flipped it to a random page, losing herself in the story for a moment or two before someone sat down across from her.

She looked up and smiled, "Hey, JJ."

"Hey. Sorry, I'm late. Abby had a hard time getting out of the house unseen this morning."

"Chad," Theresa assumed since Jennifer was probably still at the hospital.

"No, Gabbi," JJ admitted.

"How's she doing?" Theresa asked.

"Not great, but better now," JJ said. "Abby's waiting in the car for us."

"We should walk," Theresa put a couple of bucks down and slipped her book back into her bag before standing. "It's easier to spot someone following you and easier to scatter and lose a person."

"Point taken," JJ rose as well. "You're good at the covert thing."

"Visits with Dad," Theresa smiled. "How to avoid being followed was breakfast conversation."

JJ smirked and tapped on the car window to get his sister's attention.

Abby rolled down the window, "What's up?"

"We're gonna walk," JJ informed her.

Abby nodded, rolled the window up, turned the car off, and got out to join her brother and Theresa.

"Hi, Theresa," Abby greeted the other woman.

"How are you, Abby?" Theresa smiled.

"I've been better, but I've been worse, too."

"Haven't we all?" Theresa shrugged. "Do you have them?"

Abby nodded and patted her bag, "Yeah, they're in here."

"And you haven't let them out of your sight?"

"JJ had them at his place," Abby said. "I didn't want to run the risk of Chad seeing them and asking what I was doing. I don't want to get his hopes up. Do you really think Stefan could've messed with the tests?"

"I think he's a product of his DNA, not his environment. I think the only decent people that came directly from Stefano are Chad, EJ, and Lexie."

"And even they've had their moments," JJ murmured.

"As for the Alamains, I think Carly deserved a damn medal for offing Lawrence. I know we were kids, but I've heard enough bits and pieces over the years to tell me he was a bastard and when it comes to Vivian, well," Theresa shrugged, knowing the evidence of the older woman's misdeeds spoke for themselves.

"Point taken," Abby nodded. "Which way are we going?"

"Follow me," Theresa motioned, "By the way, I don't need to tell you two that you can't mention-"

"Secret's safe with us," JJ promised and Abby nodded in agreement.

-d-d-d-d-

Max stopped the car outside a decrepit old building and parked.

"This it?" he asked Shawn.

"This is it," Shawn checked the address.

"Looks like no one's lived here in years," Max commented as they got out of the car.

"If it was a front for illegal activities, I don't think anyone would've lived here period," Shawn theorized.

"Point taken," Max nodded. "You really think we're gonna find anything?"

"One way to find out," Shawn walked up to the front door. Max followed and turned his back while Shawn worked on the lock.

"What's it look like?"

"Standard issue," Shawn murmured, "No upgrade. Any movement?"

"Nope," Max said through a smile. "I think this is your typical three kind of witness neighborhood."

"Deaf, dumb, and blind," Shawn nodded. "Why did so many of us go into law enforcement?"

"Forever blue," Max grinned for real this time. "It's in the blood."

"Tell me about it," Shawn smirked as the lock popped. "Got it."

Shawn opened the door cautiously, and they slipped through the opening, letting it shut lightly behind them.

Max took out the flashlight he'd tucked under his shirt at the small of his back and turned it on to illuminate the dark hallway, "Looks like an old brownstone."

Shawn, who had retrieved his own flashlight, nodded in agreement, "Yeah, but something's missing."

"Rats?" Max kidded.

"Don't even," Shawn shook his head in disgust. "Look around you, Max. Even if this had been a front, there would've been furniture. When it was done being used-"

"The people using it wouldn't have care enough to get the stuff they'd bought, most likely on the cheap, so-"

"Where is it?" Shawn finished. "Seventy years or not, if this place had been looted over the years, there'd be a few things left that couldn't be carried or sneaked out in here falling apart."

"Think the stairs are safe?" Max flashed his light towards the staircase.

"One way to find out," Shawn walked over and tested them out. "Wait until I get upstairs before you follow."

"Yeah, alright," Max agreed. "Be careful. I don't want to explain to your mom why her son has broken bones because he fell through a staircase in an abandoned house."

"Same to you," Shawn shot back as he ascended the stairs. "Okay, I'm up."

Max carefully made his way up to join his nephew on the second floor landing.

"Let's split up and then make our way back here," Shawn opened a door to reveal a staircase. "We'll go up there together."

"Alright," Max went left while Shawn went right.

The first room Max looked into was empty, so he quickly bypassed it. Just as he was about to open the door to the next room, Shawn called out.

"Max? You need to see this," Shawn said.

"Where are you?"

"End of the hall, through the open wall," Shawn said.

"Open wall?" Max mumbled to himself. When he entered the room he realized what Shawn was talking about. The wall was indeed open. He walked through the space and stopped. It was an office. Light came in through the windows from the front of the room. "Where are we?"

"Building next to the one whose address was on the bank statements Theresa and I found," Shawn told him. "That's not why I called you in here."

"Okay," Max nodded.

Shawn motioned to the space behind the desk, and Max walked over to stand beside him.

"Whoa," he said quietly when he registered what he was looking at.

A skeleton lay on the floor, tatters of clothes covering it. There was an old watch on the wrist that had long since run out of battery power.

"We need a team," Shawn said.

"Call it in," Max nodded. "I'm calling Chelsea to tell her to take the girls to Mom's without me."

Shawn nodded as he dialed, "This is Agent Brady. I need CSU at 65 Front St. We have a crime scene."

-d-d-d-d-d-d-

"Abby needs to stop pacing," JJ said watched his sister. "Wearing a trench in the lab floor isn't going to make things go faster."

"Leave her alone, JJ. It's better than the tapping," Theresa said from her chair. She turned a page in her book.

"What are you reading?" JJ looked at her.

"Water for Elephants," Theresa said. "It's Grandma's."

"Really?"

"Grandma loves everything circus. One of her favorite movies is _The Greatest Show on Earth_ ," Theresa smiled. "Grandpa took her to the circus every time it was anywhere near Salem."

"What's her favorite act?" JJ asked.

"Knife thrower," Theresa mimed the act.

"I can almost see her doing that," JJ smiled.

"Mom said she used to practice by throwing pans at my uncles," Theresa snorted.

JJ laughed at the image of Caroline Brady throwing pans at Roman and Bo when they were younger.

"JJ, I heard about Lani and Eli. I'm sorry," Theresa said after a few moments of silence.

"Thanks," JJ nodded. "I'm getting past it."

"I'm glad. Any chance you'll reconcile with Gabbi now?"

"Ever the romantic, aren't you?" JJ smirked.

"You two were cute together."

"I appreciate that," JJ said. "No, that ship sailed a long time ago. We're just friends."

"You know what they say; love is friendship on fire," Theresa smiled.

"I'm taking myself out of the game for a while," JJ confessed.

"I don't blame you," Theresa nodded before she checked her watch. "The machine should be almost done."

"Yeah?"

Theresa got up, nodding, "Yeah."

JJ motioned to Abby and the blonde joined them in room with all the big machines.

"You have the results?" she asked.

"A few more moments, and we will," Theresa said.

"Theresa, thank you for doing this," Abby smiled. "You didn't have to."

"Chad's one of the only DiMera's I've ever wanted to see get a happy ending. If I can help him and you do that, I will."

Abby smiled as Theresa checked the machines, and then she noticed JJ smiling, too. It'd been a while since she'd seen a smile like that on her brother's face and even if her mother would hate it being caused by Theresa Donovan, it was nice to see.

"Okay, here we go," Theresa looked at the screen. "Hmm."

"Hmm, what?" Abby said.

"Someone has some explaining to do," Theresa said.

"What do you mean?" JJ asked.

"Abby, Stefan isn't the father," Theresa shook her head. She hit some buttons and the printer roared to life. She took the paper and handed it to Abby, "I'd call Aunt Kay and talk to her about the lab workers."

Abby nodded, "I wonder if I could get bank records."

"I think I could help there," Theresa said.

"No, you've done enough, Theresa," Abby gave the other woman a hug, "I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough."

"No thanks necessary," Theresa smiled. "We're family once removed."

Abby nodded, "I should get home. I can't wait to tell Chad the good news."

"Abby, when you go to Stefan, don't go alone," Theresa warned.

"Oh, don't worry. I have a feeling I won't be the one telling him," Abby grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

"Abby, wait," Theresa called after her. "You can't leave alone. I have to escort you out. It's policy. I'm sorry. Let me shut everything down and then we're out of here."

"Right. I'm sorry," Abby stopped. "I'm just anxious."

"I get it," Theresa nodded. "While I shut down, why don't you call Chad and make sure he's home? JJ will get my bag and book from the other room. Then we'll be ready to go."

"Good idea," Abby fished her phone out with a smile while JJ went and grabbed Theresa's things.

Theresa quickly shut down all the machines.

-d-d-d-d-d-d-

"Hey Chels, I just got your message," Theresa walked down the hallway towards the front door. "You want company or are you guys okay?"

" _We're good, Reesie,"_ her cousin said. _"I'll bring home dinner. How'd everything go?"_

Theresa smiled, "I was able to give Abby some really good news."

" _That's great,"_ Chelsea smiled. _"Any word from the guys?"_

Theresa sighed, "Yeah, Max called. They're running tests. I wish I could help."

" _Relax. You did your good deed for the day. I will soon be returning two cranky and spoiled little girls to you and disappearing into my bathroom for a bubble bath,"_ Chelsea smiled.

"You're evil," Theresa teased. "See you soon."

" _Bye,"_ Chelsea said.

Theresa disconnected and set her phone down. She had just turned to go into the living room to read when the doorbell rang. She paused, wondering who it could be, before she went to the door and looked through the peephole.

"Of course," she murmured when she registered who was on the other side of the door. She considered ignoring it but knew it would just postpone the inevitable so she opened the door. "What do you want Brady?"

-d-d-d-d-

For those who want to see where I got the inspiration for Caroline's favorite circus act, go to YouTube and look up Cold Case Metamorphosis.


	16. Chapter 16

Enjoy-

-d-d-d-d-

"We need to talk," Brady moved to enter but Theresa blocked his entrance.

"You're not coming in because we have _nothing_ to talk about," Theresa told him firmly.

"I don't want to have this conversation in front of the entire neighborhood, Theresa," Brady said.

"I have a solution," Theresa slammed the door in his face only to have the knocking resume, "Oh, for the love of God."

 _"I'm not going away, Theresa,"_ Brady called from the other side of the door, his banging becoming more forceful the longer he pounded.

Theresa opened the door again, "If I call the police, will you go away then?"

"I can't believe you of all people won't hear me out."

"Me of all people? Why should I hear you out, Brady?"

"Because you deserted me and our son to go off partying," Brady said.

Theresa rolled her eyes, "Then please explain how I ended up working for the ISA."

"Your father bailed you out," Brady offered.

"In a way, yes, he did, but it's not how you mean," Theresa told him. "Brady, I didn't leave to party. I left because my ex-boyfriend, a drug lord, threatened to kill you if I didn't leave with him. He wasn't good with hearing the word 'no'."

"What?"

"Yeah, and by the time I was free, you were well on your way to breaking the law by helping Nicole Walker kidnap her daughter," Theresa said.

"Don't," Brady shook his head. "You have zero right to judge me. A drug lord, Theresa? Jesus, what the hell else did you bring to my doorstep?"

"What did I bring to your doorstep? What about what you brought to my doorstep? Do I need to remind you that the reason we didn't know Tate existed for the first few months of his life was because of you and your bizarre mother fixation?"

"Bizarre mother fixation?" Brady looked outraged.

"I've seen pictures, Brady. If things had turned out differently, Kristen would've been your stepmother. That is the definition of a mother fixation. After Nicole split and you fell off the wagon yet again, you decided screwing my sister to get control of a company was a good idea. Was that Victor's idea or did you come up with that one on your own? Never mind, doesn't matter," Theresa waved a hand. "You know, ick factor aside, you and Kristen made a pretty good pair."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you both seem to think taking your frustrations out on Eric is a good idea."

"I never touched Eric," Brady shook his head. "He's been my brother my entire life."

"I don't believe you," Theresa shook her head. "I'm shutting the door. You knock on it or any other door in this house again, I will call the police and have you arrested for trespassing. In fact, I bet I could get you for witness tampering considering I'm the one who identified your cufflink to Hope."

"Theresa, you know me," Brady made a last ditch effort to get her to listen to him.

"No, I knew you. The man I left behind, the one I loved and would've done anything for, including give up so he could be there to take care of our son, he's long gone," Theresa shook her head. "You know the funny thing? I blamed myself when I figured out what you were up to with Eve. Turns out Shawn was right. You're a grown man, fully capable of making your own decisions. Goodbye, Brady."

Theresa shut the door quietly and turned the lock as she leaned against the door.

-d-d-d-d-

"Hey, Shawn," Max called. "Tech says they're just about done. We can leave."

"Alright," Shawn pulled his ringing phone from his pocket. His face hardened as he declined the call.

"The ex?" Max asked.

"No," Shawn shook his head, "Brady."

"Seriously? What's his deal?"

"I don't know," Shawn said. His phone rang again, "Seriously?"

He looked at the ID and smiled.

"Not Brady," Max smiled.

"Theresa," Shawn said before he answered, "Hey, Reesie."

" _Fair warning: Brady might be calling you."_

"Yeah, he already did. I declined the call."

" _That's my fault. He was here, and we had a fight-"_

"What do you mean he was there? Are you okay?" Shawn started for the door.

" _I'm fine,"_ Theresa assured him. _"He showed up, but I wouldn't let him in."_

"Good," Shawn said as he and Max walked towards the car.

" _I also mentioned the conversation you and I had on New Year's in the lab."_

"The one where you thought it was your fault he is acting like a jackass?"

" _That's the one,"_ Theresa nodded. _"I'm sorry I brought you into it, Shawn."_

"Don't worry. He was going to find out where I'd been living sooner or later."

" _True,"_ Theresa agreed. _"Think he'll call your ex?"_

"Only if he really wants to piss everyone off," Shawn shook his head. "Belle's also Eric's sister."

" _Shawn, he said he didn't do it,"_ Theresa said quietly.

"And?"

" _I told him I didn't believe him,"_ Theresa admitted.

"But?"

" _Some part of me wants to,"_ Theresa said, _"If for no other reason than not having to one day tell my kids their dad tried to kill Eric."_

"I know," Shawn nodded. Brady was his family too. He was his daughter's godfather. He'd been his brother-in-law for the better part of his life.

" _Are you and Max coming home anytime soon?"_ Theresa's voice broke in on his thoughts.

"Yeah, we'll be there soon. Should we bring dinner?"

" _No. Chelsea's doing that. I can't wait to hear all about the body,"_ Theresa said. _"See you soon."_

"Bye," Shawn hung up.

"She okay?" Max asked.

"Yeah, but Brady's treading on dangerous ground. He showed up at the house."

"How'd he know where she was staying?" Max said after a moment.

"What?" Shawn looked up from the notes he'd made about the scene they were leaving.

"Brady," Max said, "How'd he know where Theresa was staying? I doubt he'd know about that house. He's not part of that side of the family."

"But someone he lives with is," Shawn rolled his eyes, "Maggie."

"Of course," Max shook his head. "You sure we shouldn't take the girls back to Aremid or send them to Billie? Maggie is very chummy with a lot of our family."

"I'll talk to Reesie, but I don't think she'll go for sending them to Europe without her."

"See how she'd feel about Aremid, and I'll see how Carrie feels about coming home for a while," Max took out his phone to call his niece.

"Tell her I said hi," Shawn grinned as they got into the car.

-d-d-d-d-

"Okay, Reesie," Stephanie walked through the square. "Yeah, I'll keep my eye out. I'll come by tomorrow. I miss you guys…Bye."

Stephanie hung up the phone as she walked into the Brady Pub. She looked around and frowned, not seeing anyone she knew. She had just crossed the floor to cut through the kitchen and head upstairs to visit with her grandma when she heard someone call her name.

"Stephanie?"

She turned around and smiled, "Sonny!"

Meeting in the center of the room, they hugged.

"I heard you were in town," Sonny said. "Dad said he saw Theresa this morning. I knew you couldn't be far behind."

"I can came to read John Black the riot act," Stephanie admitted. "But Dad said he doesn't hold a grudge, so how can I?"

"Your dad's more forgiving than I'd be," Sonny shook his head.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Stephanie nodded. "How are you doing with everything?"

"It's been confusing," Sonny admitted as the cousins sat down.

"I'll bet," Stephanie frowned. "Has Will remembered anything?"

"No," Sonny shook his head. "He and Paul are still together."

"Sonny, I'm sorry," Stephanie put her hand on his arm.

"Me, too," Sonny nodded.

"But, hey, your folks are reconciling, right?" Stephanie smiled. "That is cause for celebration."

"Yes, it is," Sonny agreed. "Unfortunately, it looks like my dad's going to be defending my cousin in two separate trials."

Stephanie rolled her eyes, "I thought Brady couldn't surprise me anymore than he has in the last year. I guess I was wrong."

"How's Theresa doing with all of this?"

Stephanie shook her head, "Not great. She's wondering if this is her fault, or if he was always like this and she just turned a blind eye because she loved him."

"No," Sonny shook his head. "This is anything but Theresa's fault. Brady has a mind of his own. He did what he did with Nicole and Eve all by himself. As for Eric? If Brady did that, then he's on his own. I won't stand by him. Eric's Will's uncle, so we were family once."

"Sonny Kiriakis, will you marry me?"

"I think that's illegal in Illinois and sorry, Steph, but you're not my type," Sonny grinned. "Should I ask what brought on asking for my hand?"

"You're just a good guy and those are few and far between. You deserve happiness."

"Thank you," Sonny smiled. "Do you wanna have dinner with me?"

"Yes, but can you give me a half hour?"

"Sure," Sonny nodded. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I was gonna go up and see Grandma before you stopped me."

"You want company?"

"Sure. Fair warning, she might not recognize you. She could call you Victor," Stephanie cautioned.

"It's getting bad, huh?" Sonny realized as they stood.

"Yeah," Stephanie nodded. "I don't think we'll be able to keep her home for much longer."

"I'm sorry, Steph," Sonny told her as they walked through the kitchen.

"Me, too," Stephanie nodded.

-d-d-d-d-d-

He walked along the dock talking into his cell phone, "I did what you asked. I want my money…I don't care if that idiot loses his son…You wanted Eric injured. I did it. Now pay up or I start talking…Really? I think the tape recording I have will sway people to my side…That's better. See you soon."

He hung up and tossed the phone into the harbor. He'd buy a new one tomorrow.


	17. Chapter 17

Theresa poked her head into Eric's bedroom early one morning. It appeared empty except for the patient still unconscious from his injuries. She did seeaw Jennifer's purse on the seat, so she knew the blonde couldn't be far.

She'd just put her own purse down when she heard the distinctive sound of someone retching in the bathroom. She turned towards the partially closed door.

"Jennifer?"

There was a pause in the noise. Theresa could only imagine that Jennifer was recovering from absolute mortification.

"Look, it's just me," Theresa gave the woman as much privacy as a half opened door would allow. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna be spreading any kind of rumors. It's happened to me. You get on a funky sleep schedule. You get a migraine. The next thing you know, you're hunched over the toilet throwing up whatever you just ate. Just be glad you did eat, because seriously? Throwing up on an empty stomach hurts."

Jennifer opened the door and to Theresa's surprise the older woman was laughing and crying at the same time, "I needed that ramble, thank you."

"No problem. Do you want me to find you some crackers and ginger ale? Some aspirin?"

"Yes, to the crackers and ginger ale," Jennifer nodded. "No, to the aspirin."

"You sure? If you keep it down, it might help more than the crackers and ginger ale."

"I can't take aspirin right now," Jennifer sat in her chair at Eric's bedside.

"You can't? What does that mean? The only time I've ever abstained from taking any kind of pain killer is when I was-" Theresa stopped talking and looked at Jennifer, who took a minute before looking up. "Oh, you're-"

"Yes, I am. Trust me, this was nowhere in my wheel house. I wasn't even thinking about it," Jennifer shook her head.

"Does he know?" Theresa motioned towards the sleeping man.

"No. I found out a day before this he was assaultedhappened. When I got the call, I was still processing. I didn't know what he'd say."

"He's gonna be over the moon about it," Theresa assured her.

"It's just that I'm so-"

"You're not that old."

"I'm a grandmother," Jennifer reminded her.

"Wasn't Addie about your age when she had Hope? Didn't Julie have a kid at that point? This is nothing anyone in your family hasn't seen before."

"How do you know about any of that?" Jennifer asked. "That was way before your time."

"Grandma," Theresa nodded.

"How is Caroline?" Jennifer asked. She knew the older woman hadn't been well for quite a long time.

"She calls me Mama when I go to see her. Steph visited her the other day and had Sonny with her. Grandma called him Victor a few times. She thought Steph was Uncle Steve's mom."

"Jo," Jennifer nodded.

"Yeah," Theresa nodded. "She kept asking how Vern was."

"I'm so sorry. That must be hard. When Gran went, it was too fast, but she always knew who we were," Jennifer said. "I'm assuming she doesn't know about Eric?"

"No," Theresa shook her head. "What are the doctors saying?"

"He's threatening to wake up," Jennifer smiled.

"Thank God," Theresa smiled. "Has anyone but family been by?"

"If you mean Brady, no, he hasn't dropped in to visit. I'm not sure what I'd do if he did."

"I slammed the door in his face. It didn't deter him," Theresa admitted.

"Do you think he did it?"

"Part of me wants to believe he's not capable of this, but a larger part of me knows he has a temper," Theresa said quietly.

Jennifer frowned, knowing Theresa was right.

"How far along are you?" Theresa asked.

Jennifer smiled a little, "Six weeks."

"You haven't told anyone? JJ? Abby?"

"No, not yet. The only one who knows besides you is Aunt Maggie. I needed someone to hold my hand at the doctor's office, and Hope was busy with a case."

"You must miss having Laura close by," Theresa nodded.

"It'd be nice to have her around more, especially now," Jennifer nodded.

"Speaking of moms, I should see mine. I haven't spent a lot of time with her since I got to town. Will you cCall me when he wakes up?"

"Of course," Jennifer smiled.

"I'll see if Aunt Kayla's around to have breakfast with you before I go," Theresa stood up.

"Thank you, Theresa," Jennifer nodded as the younger woman left.

Theresa went to the nurses' station and smiled at Maxine, "Maxine? Is Dr. Johnson available?"

"I think she's in her office," the older woman said.

"Is she with a patient?"

"Not that I know of," Maxine shook her head. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I wanted to see if she was free to have breakfast with Jennifer Horton," Theresa explained. "I'd do it, but I'm going to see my mother."

"Alright. If you'd like, I can call her."

"No, I'll go hunt her down. Thanks, Maxine."

"No problem."

Theresa walked down through the halls of the hospital towards the offices and found her aunt's office. The door was ajar, telling her that if Kayla was in there, she wasn't with a patient. There was a bit of a rustling noise as Theresa got closer.

She gave a light knock and poked her head in, "Aunt Kayla- What the hell are you doing in there, Gabi?"

The younger woman's head jerked up, and she looked like a deer in the headlights.

"Theresa," Gabi stammered out a response. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for my aunt," Theresa told her. "This is her office after all. What are you doing in her files?"

"Looking for my test results," Gabi said as Theresa came closer.

Theresa nodded and looked at the drawer that Gabi still had open, "Did you change your name recently, Gabi?"

"What?"

"Your last name is still Hernandez, right?"

"Yes," Gabi noddedgave a apprehensive response, not sure where Theresa was going with her question.

"Then why are you looking in a drawer labeled 'A-F'?"

Gabi looked down at the files in front of her and then back at Theresa.

"Care to try again?" Theresa asked. "You know what? Don't bother. I don't need to know why you're here."

"You don't?"

"No," Theresa backed up without taking her eyes off of Gabi and picked up the phone on Kayla's desk. She pressed a button and waited. "I need hospital security in Doctor Kayla Johnson's office. This is her niece, Theresa Donovan. I caught an intruder, and she's still here…Yes, I'll be glad to wait for you."

Theresa hung up the phone and folded her arms, "The reason I don't need to know why you're here is because I was always going to call security, no matter what you said. I realize we haven't seen each other in a while, Gabi, but I didn't suffer any brain damage recently. My aunt would not leave you alone with her files."

"I can explain," Gabi reiterated.

"I'm sure hospital security, my aunt, and the police, including your brother, will love hearing the story."

"Theresa, wait a second."

"Look, if my aunt tells us she left you alone in here to look for your test results, I will apologize. Otherwise, I'd start looking for a lawyer because I'm pretty sure going through a doctor's files without permission is some kind of crime."

The office door swung open wide and two security guards walked in, "Miss Donovan?"

"Yeah," Theresa nodded and pointed, "That's the intruder."

"I am not an intruder," Gabi protested.

"You might want to find Dr. Johnson. Miss Hernandez claims she had my aunt's permission to look for her test results in the files."

"Maxine's already looking for her. Until we find her, I'm afraid you'll both have to come with us."

"Of course," Theresa nodded.

"I have to go to work," Gabi protested and struggled against the guards attempting to take her into custody.

"Call them. I'm sure they'll understand you being detained on suspicion of going through a doctor's files," Theresa said before she followed one of the security guards out the door, leaving Gabi with the other one.

"Miss Hernandez," the other guard motioned.

Gabi reluctantly followed Theresa.

-d-d-d-

"Maxine," Kayla approached the nurses' desk. "I just got your page. What's going on?"

"Your niece found someone in your office going through your filing cabinet."

"What?" Kayla was shocked. "Who?"

"Gabi Hernandez," Maxine pointed to a conference room, "They're in there waiting for you."

Kayla marched over to the room Maxine indicated, gave a perfunctory knock, and walked inside.

Theresa was at one end of the conference table and Gabi at the other. The guards sat in the middle.

"Dr. Johnson," one of the guards greeted, standing up.

"Hi, Lou," Kayla nodded. "What's going on?"

"Miss Donovan claims that she found Gabi going through your files," Lou said.

"Theresa?" Kayla looked at her niece.

"I was visiting Eric this morning and before I left I thought maybe you'd be able to have breakfast with Jennifer. I think she's a little lonely and could use someone to talk to. Anyway, I went to the desk and asked Maxine if she knew where you were. She said you were probably in your office, so I went there. As I walked down the hall, I noticed your door was partially open so I figured you weren't with a patient. When I got closer I heard rustling. I thought you were doing paperwork, so I knocked and poked my head in. That's when I saw Gabi in your filing cabinet. I asked her what she was doing and she told me she was looking for her test results. The thing of it is, she was in the 'A-F' drawer. That's when I called security."

"Dr. Johnson, did Miss Hernandez have permission to be in your office?" Lou asked.

"No, she certainly did not," Kayla said before she looked at Gabi. "Can you hold her until I check my files to see if anything is missing?"

"Of course," Lou nodded.

"Can I go?" Theresa asked.

"Yes," Lou said. "We just need your contact information in case we have any further questions."

"That's okay, Lou. I know how to get in touch with her, and I'm sure we still have her information on record," Kayla said.

"Bye, Aunt Kayla," Theresa hugged her aunt and whispered, "If you get a chance, go see Jennifer."

"Okay," Kayla whispered back.

Theresa walked out of the room and over to the elevators. She pressed a button and waited. The elevator dinged, and she went over to the doors as they slid open and out walked Stefan DiMera.

"Oh perfect," Theresa sighed.

"You again," Stefan recognized Theresa.

"Don't worry, I'm not staying," Theresa tried to slip into the elevator but Stefan blocked her path. "Problem?"

"I hear you're a forensics technician," Stefan said.

"You've been talking to Abby," Theresa nodded, "Chad, maybe?"

"This morning I was informed this morning that there was no reason for me to ever approach either of them ever again."

"And I suppose they also explained why," Theresa smiled.

"They did," Stefan nodded. "I want another test done. One that isn't done by a pseudo family member."

"That's fine with me, but you should be talking to your lawyer about that."

"I need a copy of the test you did."

"Abby has it," Theresa smiled. "Talk to her."

"You didn't keep a copy?"

"Why would I? It's not like she's a case I was working," Theresa pointed out. "Though maybe I should have. That way, I could hand a copy to the commissioner as evidence of medical record tampering. I think that's some kind of crime. You could be making nice with Rosco the weight lifter right now."

"You think I did this?" Stefan asked.

"Oh, please. This is vintage DiMera. Of course, if it'd been your old man, he wouldn't have gotten caught. No, he would've made sure that everything pointed at some pre-chosen, well paid, patsy. I guess talent really does skip a generation."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Isn't it obvious? You're the inept DiMera," Theresa smiled. "Your father, bastard that he was, was referred to as the Phoenix. He rose from the ashes time and again. But you? You can't even find a lighter."

"Is that right?" Stefan asked.

"That's right," Theresa pressed the button for the elevator and walked around Stefan to get on the lift when it arrived. "You also differ from your siblings in a lot of ways."

"Do tell," Stefan turned to face her.

"People actually cared about them. Even if in the end, they were despised like your sister Kristen, there was a time when they were cared about. People have good memories of them," Theresa told him as a chime sounded, announcing the arrival of her elevator.

"Is there a point to this information?" Stefan asked.

"Simply put, if you were found floating face down by the harbor master tomorrow, nobody would care. Consider that the next time you miss your sister-in-law's alter," Theresa stepped onto the elevator and smirked at Stefan as he disappeared from view.

Sorry I took so long. Hope everyone had a great holiday season.


	18. Chapter 18

Sorry this took so long. Thank you to my editor.

-d-d-d-d-

"Morning," Theresa stumbled into the kitchen where her cousins were having breakfast and poured herself a cup of coffee. "Where's Max?"

"He went to the pub to help out Uncle Roman," Shawn said. "Girls keep you up?"

"Half the night," Theresa nodded, sitting down and accepting a plate of waffles from Chelsea. "I guess you brought your earplugs from home?"

"Never leave home without them," Shawn smirked.

Theresa couldn't think of a proper response, so she merely stuck her tongue out at her cousin.

"You want me to keep an eye on them?" Chelsea offered.

"Thanks Chels, but Mom and Dad claimed them for the day. I'm taking them over there as soon I can get myself awake enough to get dressed. Then I'm going to do some shopping for clothes. I'll make dinner tonight."

"Don't bother," Shawn shook his head, "Uncle Roman wants us all over for dinner at the pub. He's closing it down and making it a family affair."

"Meaning Claire will be there," Theresa nodded. "I can't go."

"Why not?" Shawn asked.

"Because Claire will look at my daughters, mention them to Belle, who will mention them to Brady, and then I'll have a process server on our doorstep," Theresa said. "I'll take the night shift at the hospital tonight. We'll make Jen go home and sleep. She needs it."

"So do you," Chelsea pointed out.

"I'll take a nap later. I guarantee you Jen has been sleeping in the chair next to Eric's bed for the last week. She needs a bed. I'll call JJ and get him to back me up."

"Speaking of JJ," Chelsea smirked, "That boy grew up cute."

"Hortons and Johnsons have turned out some lookers, so I don't know why you're so surprised," Theresa smiled.

"I cannot hear this," Shawn folded the newspaper in his hands and got up from the table.

"Oh, come on, Shawn. You know we think you're cute, too," Theresa teased him.

"It's just that we're blood related to you, so we can't act on it," Chelsea smirked.

"JJ on the other hand," Theresa said, "No blood relation at all. There is a bit of an ick factor considering he slept with my sister and was in love with my niece."

"It's nothing this town hasn't seen before," Chelsea reminded her. "Hell, Gabi slept with three Horton boys."

"Yeah," Theresa said. "Speaking of Gabi, I need to tell you guys something. I caught her going through Aunt Kayla's files yesterday."

"What?" Shawn asked. "Gabi?"

"Yeah. Then I ran into the new DiMera Dark Prince."

"That must have been fun," Chelsea snorted.

"What happened?" Shawn asked, seeing the look on Theresa's face.

"I accused him of changing the test results for the paternity test."

"Valid accusation considering who you're talking to," Chelsea nodded.

"Lemme guess. He denied it," Shawn rolled his eyes.

"Yeah," Theresa nodded. "God, did I let loose on him."

"Good," Chelsea said.

"Then I started thinking about what I said to him and called Abby. Gabi is the one who told Stefan about the baby and Abby having an abortion. Gabi claimed it was an accident."

"But?" Shawn prodded.

"Yesterday when I caught her in the files, she was in the 'A-F' drawer."

"You don't think-" Chelsea stopped talking as she started to piece it together. "Oh God."

"She's Abby's best friend," Shawn pointed out.

"Abby's alter put her in prison where she was beaten so badly, she can no longer have children," Theresa said. "I can't say I wouldn't take some kind of revenge if I found out the person who caused my sterility was going to have a baby."

"Shawn, I kind of agree with her."

Shawn sighed, nodding, "Yeah, I kind of do, too."

"So, what do we do?" Theresa asked.

"You two don't do anything," Chelsea said. "Gabi will be on guard around both of you."

"Chels," Shawn started.

"No, listen," Chelsea said. "Shawn, you and Abby are family. Reesie, you're already on her radar because of yesterday. It's better if I snoop around on her."

"You sure?" Theresa asked.

"Yeah. I can do it."

"Alright, Chels," Theresa nodded. "Be careful, okay?"

"I always am," Chelsea smiled.

"Yeah, right," Shawn smirked

-d-d-d-d-d-d-

Theresa smiled at the barista and dropped her change in the tip jar before taking her caramel latte and leaving the coffee shop in Horton Square. She scoped out the scene. There were no free tables.

Just as she was about to take her coffee and window shop on her way home, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

She turned around and smiled hesitantly at Rafe, thinking of the conversation she'd had with her cousins that morning, "Detective, what can I do for you?"

"I need to ask you about yesterday," the older man explained. "Security said you were the one who reported Gabi."

"I figured this was coming. Shouldn't Lani or Eli be doing this? I know you outrank them, but she is your sister," Theresa said. She knew nepotism was frowned upon in law enforcement or at least people tried to frown upon it. She also knew with two of his sisters dead, his father in jail, his mother AWOL most of the time, and his brother on the run, Gabi and Arianna were the only family he had left. Add in the fact Gabi was the youngest and Rafe the oldest of the Hernandez siblings, and Theresa wasn't sure Rafe could be objective about the situation.

"I'm not here to try and talk you out of seeing what you saw," Rafe assured her. "If Gabi was doing something wrong, then I want her held accountable. I just need your story in your own words."

"Okay," Theresa nodded. "Are we going to the station, or do you have a recorder handy?"

Rafe took out a pen and paper, "For now, this'll do. If Kayla decides to pursue the matter, you'll be called in for a formal statement."

"Alright," Theresa motioned to a recently vacated table, "Shall we?"

Rafe took a seat across from her and flipped through his pad before he looked at Theresa, "Just start from the beginning."

Theresa went through the events that led to her calling security on Gabi, pausing to answer any questions Rafe had along the way.

Once she was done, she took a sip of her latte and waited to see if Rafe had anymore questions for her.

"I think that's everything," Rafe said, looking at his notes.

"Okay," Theresa nodded. "Anything else, you know how to find me."

Rafe nodded with his trademark grin, "Say 'hi' to Shawn for me."

"I will. Bye, Rafe," Theresa took her leave.

-d-d-d-d-

"Okay, Shawn," Theresa said into her phone. "Thanks. I'll see you soon. Give my love to everyone. Okay. Bye."

She hung up and drew her legs up so her heels rested on the edge of her chair and wrapped her arms around them as she looked at her cousin. As peaceful as he looked, she wished he'd wake up.

"Hey Eric," she said quietly. "I know you like to sleep, but this is bordering on the ridiculous."

She unfolded herself and got up to walk to the window. She managed to get it open a crack and inhaled the scent of early spring before turning back around, "I was thinking about when you first came to live with us the other day. You were so lost. You didn't think you deserved to be out of jail, even though you saved the governor's daughter's life. You couldn't see past Daniel's death. Steph and I were so worried about you. Your dad called us every day to check on you. We were so glad when you started seeing one of the counselors the ISA keeps on retainer. We were even happier when you felt strong enough to become one."

She laughed even though tears gathered in her eyes, "And you were the one holding my hand the day Mena and Sophie came into the world. You were more terrified than I was, but you stayed on your feet. You never faltered. You were a pain in the ass about me telling Brady right up until finding out he was helping Nicole break the law and taking Tate away from his entire family.

"I have to admit, I wasn't crazy about the idea of you coming back here, but it wasn't because I thought you'd blow my secret. I was worried about you dealing with everyone and everything you'd left behind; especially Maggie and Nicole. I was glad when you started working at the rectory and a little worried when Nicole started working there, too. I know something happened with you two before she left town even if you won't confirm it. Believe it or not, I was glad when you started dating Jennifer Horton. Everything about you lightened up. It was great.

"I guess what all this is leading to is that you need to wake up already. We all really need you around, Eric," Theresa smiled a little as she swiped at her eyes.

"You gonna let me get in a word or two?" a creaky voice asked.

Theresa whirled towards the bed and laughed, "You're awake?"

"And you still talk too much," Eric smirked. "What the hell happened?"

"I'm getting a doctor first," Theresa shot for the door and yelled down the hall about needing a doctor.

Once the doctor had gone over the chart and taken Eric's vital signs, he advised him to stay calm and he'd be back to check on him a little later.

While the doctor had been checking Eric over, Theresa was on the phone with various family members, all of whom were on their way down.

"Can I get you anything?" Theresa asked once they were alone again.

"Water," Eric said.

"You got it," Theresa grabbed the plastic cup from the table and shot into the bathroom. She was back in a few moments and helped Eric sit up a little to take the straw in his mouth to sip. "Go slow."

"Yes, Doctor," Eric teased.

Theresa smiled and rolled her eyes before she put the cup down and sat back down, "How are you?"

"Sore. What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Theresa asked.

"The last thing I remember I was in the park going to meet Jen. There was some pain and then I woke up here."

"So, you didn't see who hit you?"

"No. Why? Do you know anything?"

"I think Hope should talk to you about this," Theresa evaded.

"Theresa," Eric fixed her with a look.

"Eric, I don't think I should-"

"Talk," he ordered.

"There's evidence-I mean, it's feasible that-They think," Theresa stammered.

"Theresa," Eric grabbed her hand.

"They think it was Brady."


End file.
